What is the difference between Potential and Potential energy?

[Googl]

Hi there,

I am currently on Engineering course, so this will be the perfect place to ask questions where I am having some problems. I hope you will help and I will thank you for that in advance.

I am not sure whether how I understand the difference between potential and Potential energy is how I should understand the two. What is the difference between Potential and Potential energy? and how do you connect the two with Potential difference.

Thanks.

 

[K^2]

Potential is the specific potential energy. That is, when potential energy depends on some quantity associated with object in question, potential is potential energy per unit of that quantity.

For example, gravitational potential is gravitational potential energy per unit of mass. Electrostatic potential is the electrostatic potential energy per unit of charge.

 

[Googl]

Potential is simply per unit while Potential energy is per quantity is that all what I am supposed to assume, nothing more complex?

Could you please talk about potential difference specially in connection with Circuits and Point charges.

Thanks.

 

[leapoldstotch]

Potential energy is just an amount of energy, measured in Joules.
Potential is energy per charge, measured in Joules/Coulomb.

This youtube tutor will explain it all to you very easily, just watch his sequence of videos on 'electric potential and potential energy'.

 

[K^2]

Could you please talk about potential difference specially in connection with Circuits and Point charges.

When you talk about circuits, you are always talking about electrostatic potential. Difference between electrostatic potentials between two points is the voltage. Voltage is the amount of potential energy change for 1 coulomb of charge moving from first point to the second.

If you have a vacuum tube, effectively giving you no resistance, an electron traveling across 1V gap would gain kinetic energy equal to potential energy drop, which is the charge of electron * 1V, or in units of electron charge, this is energy of 1 electron-volt (eV).

In a circuit, however, all this energy is dissipated as heat. If one coulomb of charge moves across 1V of potential, 1J of heat has been produced. Since current is charge flow per unit time, current time voltage gives you amount of energy going into heat per unit of time, or power.

 

[Googl]

Thanks,

When you say voltage is the amount of potential energy change moving from first point to the second, should I assume that I could find voltage simply by subtracting the potential energy the charge has at the second point from the potential energy the charge had at the first point?

You said 1V gap, I am assuming that the potential at point A would be 5 and point B would be 4 not on the electron but within the field, when you place an electron in the field it will gain potential energy and move due to the potential energy which is now converted into kinetic energy. Am I right? Or potential energy is converted while in progress. All forms of energy are measured in joules so when you say kinetic energy = 34 joules the energy would be the same as saying potential energy = 34 joules. the quantity of energy is the same. So when an electron gains 34 joules of potential energy it will be converted to 34 joules of kinetic energy without any loss except, potential energy would go down to 0 because of the kinetic energy gain.

I am trying to understand this. When an electron is placed in field at point A which has potential 6V the electron will gain potential energy and move. The potential at point B has a potential of 2V, the electron is moving towards B from A. won't there be an affect on the electron as it moves through the different potentials, so when it reaches 4V there might be an affect. What will that be. I am anticipating that when the potential at A is 6V and the potential at B is 6V then the electron will not move. Is that right? Will it gain potential energy? What will be the outcome there? Is it conventional that when an electron has to move between two points the potential at those points has to be the different?