Assignment 6: Electric Potential

Due: 8:00am on Friday, January 27, 2012 Note: To understand how points are awarded, read your instructor's Grading Policy. [Switch to Standard Assignment View] The first problem is ungraded/optional for practice if you need some extra help. It is a tutorial on electric potential energy, electric potential, and force using the gravitational field as a more familiar comparison. Do some, all, or none.

Electric Potential Energy versus Electric Potential

Learning Goal: To understand the relationship and differences between electric potential and electric potential energy. In this problem we will learn about the relationships between electric force , electric field , potential energy

, and electric potential . To understand these concepts, we will first study a system with which you are already familiar: the uniform gravitational field. Gravitational Force and Potential Energy First we review the force and potential energy of an object of mass downward (in the Part A Find the force in a uniform gravitational field that points

direction), like the gravitational field near the earth's surface.

on an object of mass

in the uniform gravitational field when it is at height

Express in terms of , , , and . ANSWER: = Correct Because we are in a uniform field, the force does not depend on the object's location. Therefore, the variable does not appear in the correct answer. Part B Now find the gravitational potential energy potential to be at position Express in terms of , , and . ANSWER: = Correct Part C In what direction does the object accelerate when released with initial velocity upward? ANSWER: upward downward upward or downward depending on its mass of the object when it is at an arbitrary height . Take zero

. Keep in mind that the potential energy is a scalar, not a vector.

downward only if the ratio of to initial velocity is large enough Correct Electric Force and Potential Energy Now consider the analogous case of a particle with charge placed in a uniform electric field of strength pointing downward (in the Part D direction) ,

Find , the electric force on the charged particle at height . Hint D.1 Relationship between force and electric field Hint not displayed Express in terms of , , , and . ANSWER: = Correct Part E Now find the potential energy position . of this charged particle when it is at height . Take zero potential to be at

Express in terms of , , and . ANSWER: = Correct Part F In what direction does the charged particle accelerate when released with upward initial velocity? ANSWER: upward downward upward or downward depending on its charge downward only if the ratio of Correct Electric Field and Electric Potential The electric potential with charge . Part G is defined by the relationship where is the electric potential energy of a particle to initial velocity is large enough

Find the electric potential Express in terms of ,

of the uniform electric field , and .

. Note that this field is not pointing in the same .

direction as the field in the previous section of this problem. Take zero potential to be at position

ANSWER: = Correct The SI unit for electric potential is the volt ( ). The volt is a derived unit, which means that it can be written in terms of other SI units. In terms of the fundamental units of length, mass, time and charge, the volt can be expressed as follows:

Part H The electric field can be derived from the electric potential, just as the electrostatic force can be determined from the electric potential energy. The relationship between electric field and electric potential is is the gradient operator: , where

The partial derivative

means the derivative of

with respect to , holding all other variables constant. . This potential depends on the z

Consider again the electric potential coordinate only, so and

corresponding to the field . in terms of the derivative of .

Find an expression for the electric field

Express your answer as a vector in terms of the unit vectors , , and/or . Use respect to . ANSWER: = Part I Correct

for the derivative of

with

A positive test charge will accelerate toward regions of ________ electric potential and ________ electric potential energy. Hint I.1 Direction of the electric field Hint not displayed Hint I.2 Hint I.3 Formula for the force on a charge in an electric field Hint not displayed Formula for electric potential energy Hint not displayed Choose the appropriate answer combination to fill in the blanks correctly. ANSWER: higher; higher

higher; lower lower; higher lower; lower Correct Part J A negative test charge will accelerate toward regions of ________ electric potential and ________ electric potential energy. Hint J.1 Direction of the electric field Hint not displayed Hint J.2 Hint J.3 Formula for the force on a charge in an electric field Hint not displayed Formula for electric potential energy Hint not displayed Choose the appropriate answer combination to fill in the blanks correctly. ANSWER: higher; higher higher; lower lower; higher lower; lower Correct A charge in an electric field will experience a force in the direction of decreasing potential energy. Since the electric potential energy of a negative charge is equal to the charge times the electric potential ( direction of decreasing electric potential energy is the direction of increasing electric potential. ), the

Electric Potential, Potential Energy, and Force

Learning Goal: To review relationships among electric potential, electric potential energy, and force on a test charge This problem is a review of the relationship between an electric field electric potential energy Part A , and the direction of force on a test charge. , its associated electric potential , the

Electric field lines always begin at _______ charges (or at infinity) and end at _______ charges (or at infinity). One could also say that the lines we use to represent an electric field indicate the direction in which a _______ test charge would initially move when released from rest. Which of the following fills in the three missing words correctly? ANSWER: (positive; negative; negative) (positive; negative; positive)

(negative; positive; negative) (negative; positive; positive) Correct Note that the electric field vector is everywhere tangent to the electric field lines. Like electric field lines, the electric field vector generally points away from positive charges and toward negative charges. Part B Would a positive test charge released from rest move toward a region of higher or lower electric potential (compared to the electric potential at the point where it is released)? Hint B.1 Potential, field, and force Hint not displayed ANSWER: higher electric potential lower electric potential Correct Part C Now imagine that the sign of our test particle is changed from positive to negative, but the electric potential remains the same. Which of the following statements is correct? Hint C.1 Direction of field and force Hint not displayed Hint C.2 Direction of force and potential energy gradient Hint not displayed ANSWER: The direction of the force will change and it will point to regions of higher potential energy. The direction of the force will not change and it will point to regions of higher potential energy. The direction of the force will not change and it will point to regions of lower potential energy. The direction of the force will change and it will point to regions of lower potential energy. Correct

Are Coulomb Forces Conservative?

Learning Goal: To review the concept of conservative forces and to understand that electrostatic forces are, in fact, conservative. As you may recall from mechanics, some forces have a very special property, namely, that the work done on an object does not depend on the object's trajectory; rather, it depends only on the initial and the final positions of the object. Such forces are called conservative forces. If only conservative forces act within a closed system, the total amount of mechanical energy is conserved within the system (hence the term "conservative"). Such forces have a number

of properties that simplify the solution of many problems. You may also recall that a potential energy function can be defined with respect to a conservative force. This property of conservative forces will be of particular interest of us. Not all forces that we deal with are conservative, of course. For instance, the amount of work done by a frictional force very much depends on the object's trajectory. Friction, therefore, is not a conservative force. In contrast, the gravitational force and the normal force are examples of conservative forces. What about electrostatic (Coulomb) forces? Are they conservative, and is there a potential energy function associated with them?

In this problem, you will be asked to use the given diagram

to

calculate the work done by the electric field on a particle of charge and see for yourself whether that work appears to be trajectory-independent. Recall that the force acting on a charged particle in an electric field is given by . done on an object by a constant force is , where is the magnitude of the force acting on the object, is the magnitude of the displacement that the object and .

Recall that the work

undergoes, and is the angle between the vectors Consider a uniform electric field and have length Part A ; let

and a rectangle ABCD, as shown in the figure. Sides AB and CD are parallel to

be angle BAC.

Calculate the work done by the electrostatic force on a particle of charge as it moves from A to B. Hint A.1 Find the angle Hint not displayed Express your answer in terms of some or all the variables ANSWER: = Correct , , , and .

The angle between the force and the displacement is zero here, so becomes Part B Calculate the work .

, and the general formula for work

done by the electrostatic force on the charged particle as it moves from B to C. , , , and .

Express your answer in terms of some or all the variables ANSWER: 0 = Correct

Now the angle between the force and the displacement is 90 , so Part C Calculate the total amount of work A to B to C.

, and the work done is zero.

done by the electrostatic force on the charged particle as it moves from , , , and .

Express your answer in terms of some or all the variables ANSWER: = Correct Part D

Now assume that the particle "chooses" a different way of traveling. Calculate the total amount of work done by the electrostatic force on the charged particle as it moves from A to D to C. Express your answer in terms of some or all the variables ANSWER: = Correct , , and .

Since and , it is clear that . It appears that the work done by the electrostatic force on the particle is the same for both paths that begin at point A and end at point C. We now have a reasonable suspicion that this force may, in fact, be conservative. Let us check some more. Part E Calculate the work done by the electrostatic force on the charged particle as it moves from A straight to C. Hint E.1 Find the distance between A and C Hint not displayed Hint E.2 Find the angle Hint not displayed Express your answer in terms of some or all the variables ANSWER: = Correct the amount of work , , , and .

Though we have not proved it, it can be shown that the Coulomb force is indeed conservative. This implies that done by the electrostatic force on the charged particle as it moves in a curved path from A to F to C is also equal to . With the knowledge that the Coulomb force is conservative, and again referring to the diagram, answer the following questions. These questions are meant to highlight some important properties of conservative forces. Part F

Find the amount of work path from B to A. Hint F.1 Find the angle

done by the electrostatic force on the charged particle as it moves along the straight

Hint not displayed Express your answer in terms of some or all the variables ANSWER: = Correct , , , and .

The angle between the force and the displacement is 180 here, so becomes Note that The amount of work equal to . .

, and the general formula for work

done by the electrostatic force on the charged particle as it moves from A to B to A is

Part G Find the amount of work to C to D to A. done by the electrostatic force on the charged particle as it moves from A to B , , and .

Express your answer in terms of some or all the variables ANSWER: 0 = Correct

Another important property of conservative forces, which can be very helpful in problem solving, is that the total work done by a conservative force over a closed path is zero.

Electric Force and Potential: Spherical Symmetry

Learning Goal: To understand the electric potential and electric field of a point charge in three dimensions Consider a positive point charge , located at the origin of three-dimensional space. Throughout this problem, use in place of Part A .

Due to symmetry, the electric field of a point charge at the origin must point _____ from the origin. Answer in one word. ANSWER: away Correct Part B Find , the magnitude of the electric field at distance from the point charge .

Express your answer in terms of , , and .

ANSWER: = Correct Part C Find , the electric potential at distance from the point charge .

Express your answer in terms of , , and . ANSWER: = Correct Part D Which of the following is the correct relationship between the magnitude of a radial electric field and its

associated electric potential ? More than one answer may be correct for the particular case of a point charge at the origin, but you should choose the correct general relationship. ANSWER:

Correct Now consider the figure, which shows several functions of the variable .

Part E Which curve could indicate the magnitude of the electric field due to a charge located at the origin ( Hint E.1 How to approach the problem )?

Hint not displayed ANSWER: A B C D E F Correct Part F Which curve could indicate the electric potential due to a positive charge located at the origin ( Hint F.1 How to approach the problem Hint not displayed ANSWER: A B C D E F Correct Part G Which curve could indicate the electric potential due to a negative charge located at the origin ( ANSWER: A B C D E F Correct Part H For either a positive or a negative charge, the electric field points from regions of ______ electric potential. ANSWER: higher to lower lower to higher Correct )? )?

Energy Stored in a Charge Configuration

Four point charges, A, B, C, and D, are placed at the corners of a square with side length . Charges A, B, and C

have charge

, and D has charge

Throughout this problem, use in place of Part A If you calculate

, the amount of work it took to assemble this charge configuration if the point charges were . In the space

initially infinitely far apart, you will find that the contribution for each charge is proportional to provided, enter the numeric value that multiplies the above factor, in Hint A.1 How to approach the problem Hint not displayed Hint A.2 Electric potential and potential energy Hint not displayed Hint A.3 Work required to place charge A Hint not displayed Hint A.4 Work required to place charge B Hint not displayed Hint A.5 Work required to place charge C Hint not displayed Hint A.6 Find the work required to place charge D Hint not displayed ANSWER: 0 = Correct .

The hints led you through the problem by adding one charge at a time. A little thought shows that this is equivalent to simply adding the energies of all possible pairs:

. Note that this is not equivalent to adding the potential energies of each charge. Adding the potential energies will give you double the correct answer because you will be counting each charge twice. Part B Which of the following figures depicts a charge configuration that requires less work to assemble than the configuration in the problem introduction? Assume that all charges have the same magnitude .

ANSWER:

figure a figure b figure c Correct

Bouncing Electrons
Two electrons, each with mass and charge , are released from positions very far from each other. With respect to a certain reference frame, electron A has initial nonzero speed toward electron B in the positive x direction, and electron B has initial speed toward electron A in the negative x direction. The electrons move directly toward each other along the x axis (very hard to do with real electrons). As the electrons approach each other, they slow due to their electric repulsion. This repulsion eventually pushes them away from each other. Part A Which of the following statements about the motion of the electrons in the given reference frame will be true at the instant the two electrons reach their minimum separation? ANSWER: Electron A is moving faster than electron B. Electron B is moving faster than electron A. Both electrons are moving at the same (nonzero) speed in opposite directions. Both electrons are moving at the same (nonzero) speed in the same direction. Both electrons are momentarily stationary.

Correct If at a given moment the electrons are still moving toward each other, then they will be closer in the next instant. If at a given moment the electrons are moving away from each other, then they were closer in the previous instant. The electrons will be traveling in the same direction at the same speed at the moment they reach their minimum separation. Only in a reference frame in which the total momentum is zero (the center of momentum frame) would the electrons be stationary at their minimum separation. Part B What is the minimum separation that the electrons reach? Hint B.1 How to approach the problem Hint not displayed Hint B.2 Find the initial energy Hint not displayed Hint B.3 Find the final energy Hint not displayed Hint B.4 Find the initial momentum Hint not displayed Hint B.5 Find the final momentum Hint not displayed Hint B.6 Some math help Hint not displayed Express your answer in term of , ANSWER: = Correct , , and (where ).

An experienced physicist might approach this problem by considering the system of electrons in a reference frame in which the initial momentum is zero. In this frame the initial speed of each electron is . Try solving the problem this way. Make sure that you obtain the same result for , and decide for yourself which approach is easier.

Exercise 23.34
A ring of diameter 7.50 circumference. Part A is fixed in place and carries a charge of 5.70 uniformly spread over its

How much work does it take to move a tiny 4.00 of the ring? ANSWER: 5.47 = Correct Part B

charged ball of mass 2.00

from very far away to the center

Is it necessary to take a path along the axis of the ring? ANSWER: Yes No Correct Part C Why? Essay answers are limited to about 500 words (3800 characters maximum, including spaces). ANSWER: My Answer: Part D If the ball is slightly displaced from the center of the ring, what will it do? Essay answers are limited to about 500 words (3800 characters maximum, including spaces). ANSWER: My Answer: Part E What is the maximum speed it will reach? ANSWER: 74.0 = Correct

Exercise 23.43
The electric field at the surface of a charged, solid, copper sphere with radius 0.250 toward the center of the sphere. . Part A is 4200 , directed

What is the potential at the center of the sphere, if we take the potential to be zero infinitely far from the sphere? ANSWER: -1050 = Correct

Problem 23.62
A small sphere with mass 2.80 hangs by a thread between two large parallel vertical plates 5.00 apart

. The plates are insulating and have uniform surface charge densities Part A and . The charge on the sphere is = 9.60106 .

What potential difference between the plates will cause the thread to assume an angle of 30.0 with the vertical? ANSWER: 82.5 = Correct [ Print ]