Electric Potential

1. When any charge or charged body is kept in free space or in any medium there will be an electric field around the charge or charged body. 2. The electric field produced by charged body is measured by two quantities a) Intensity of electric field b) Potential of electric field 3. The intensity of electric field at any point is the force per unit charge kept at the point in the electric field. The value of intensity of electric field is given by Kq E= 2 r 4. The potential of electric field at any point is the work done per unit charge in carrying the testing charge from out side the field to the point in side the field. This is the potential at any point due to the charge or charged body. The value of electric potential at any point due to charged body is given by
V = Kq r

5. If any body is charged some amount of work is to be done in this process of charging. The work done is related with the potential of the charged body. We can define the potential of charged body as The degree of charging of the body is said to be the potential of charged body. OR The potential of the charged body is the property of the charged body which decides the direction and rate of flow of charge between the charged bodies kept in contact. The positive charge will flow from higher potential to lower potential and negative charge will flow lower potential to higher potential. The electric lines of force will be from higher potential to lower potential. 6. The potential of the charged body is related with the electric capacity of the charged body. The relation between capacity and potential of the charged body is given by
V = q C

q = Amount of charge on the body. V = Potential of the charged body. C = Electric capacity of the body.