Electric potential is the amount of work needed to move a unit positive charge from a reference point to a specific location within an electric field. It's a scalar quantity, making calculations often simpler than dealing with electric field vectors. Understanding electric potential is crucial for analyzing circuits, charged particle motion, and energy conservation in electrostatics.
In AP Physics C: Mechanics, you'll often use electric potential to find the potential energy of a charge, apply conservation of energy principles, and analyze situations involving conductors and capacitors.
Match the term with its correct definition:
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1. Electric Potential | A. The work needed per unit charge to move a charge from a reference point to a specific point in an electric field. |
| 2. Equipotential Surface | B. A surface where the electric potential is constant. |
| 3. Electric Potential Energy | C. The energy a charge possesses due to its location in an electric field. |
| 4. Volt | D. The SI unit of electric potential (Joules per Coulomb). |
| 5. Gradient | E. The rate of change of a quantity with respect to position. |
Match the following:
Complete the following paragraph with the correct terms:
The electric potential is a ______ quantity, unlike the electric field, which is a ______ quantity. The electric potential difference between two points is the ______ needed to move a unit positive charge from one point to another. If the electric field is uniform, the electric potential changes ______ with distance. The relationship between electric field and electric potential is given by $E = -\nabla V$, where $\nabla V$ is the ______ of the electric potential.
Possible answers: scalar, vector, work, linearly, gradient
Explain, in your own words, why conductors are always equipotential surfaces when in electrostatic equilibrium. What does this imply about the electric field inside and at the surface of the conductor?
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