Chapter-2: Electrostatic-Potential

The effort required to move a unit positive charge (without acceleration) from infinity to any point in an electrostatic field is represented by the electrostatic potential (V) at that location. In this article, we will be studying electrostatic potential.

What Is Electrostatic Potential?

The electrostatic potential, also known as the electric field potential, electric potential, or potential drop is defined as

The amount of work done to move a unit charge from a reference point to a specific point inside the field without producing an acceleration.

SI Unit of Electrostatic Potential

The SI unit of electrostatic potential is volt.

Electric Potential Formula

The following formula gives the electric potential energy of the system:$\begin{array}{l}U=\frac{1}{4\pi {\epsilon }_0}\times \frac{q_1{q}_2}{d}\end{array}$

Where q1 and q2 are the two charges that are separated by the distance d.

Electrostatic potential, also known as voltage or electric potential, is the potential energy per unit charge at a given point in an electric field. It’s a fundamental concept in electromagnetism and is measured in volts (V).

In simpler terms, it’s the “pressure” that drives electric current between two points. The greater the voltage, the greater the force pushing charges through a circuit.

Electrostatic potential can be thought of as the “electric pressure” that drives electric current. Here are some key aspects:

• Scalar field: Electrostatic potential is a scalar field, meaning it has a magnitude but no direction.
• Potential difference: The potential difference between two points is the voltage between them.
• Electric field: The electric field is the gradient of the electrostatic potential.
• Potential energy: The potential energy of a charge in an electric field is related to the electrostatic potential.
• Gauss’s law: The electrostatic potential is related to the distribution of charges through Gauss’s law.
• Poisson’s equation: The electrostatic potential satisfies Poisson’s equation, a fundamental equation in electromagnetism.

Applications of electrostatic potential include:

• Electric power generation and distribution
• Electronic circuits
• Medical equipment (e.g., ECG, defibrillators)
• Particle accelerators

some additional aspects of electrostatic potential:

• Equipotential surfaces: Surfaces with the same electrostatic potential are called equipotential surfaces. These surfaces are perpendicular to the electric field lines.
• Electric potential energy: The potential energy of a charge in an electric field is related to the electrostatic potential. The potential energy is proportional to the charge and the potential difference.
• Capacitance: The capacitance between two conductors is related to the electrostatic potential. Capacitors store energy in the electric field between the conductors.
• Electric potential due to a point charge: The electrostatic potential due to a point charge is given by Coulomb’s law.
• Electric potential due to a dipole: The electrostatic potential due to an electric dipole is a combination of the potentials from the positive and negative charges.
• Multipole expansion: The electrostatic potential can be expanded in a multipole expansion, which is useful for calculating the potential of complex charge distributions.
• Boundary conditions: The electrostatic potential satisfies certain boundary conditions, such as the Dirichlet and Neumann conditions.

These concepts are fundamental to understanding various electrical and electronic phenomena, including circuit analysis, electromagnetic devices, and particle physic