Potential

Objects may possess a property known as an electric charge.
An electric field exe

rts a force on charged objects. If the charged object has a positive charge, the
force will be in the direction of the electric field vector at that point. The
force will be in the opposite direction if the charge is negative. The magnitude
of the force is given by the quantity of the charge multiplied by the magnitude
of the electric field vector. A net force acting on an object will cause it to
accelerate, as explained by Classical mechanics which explores concepts such as
force, energy, potential etc. The electric potential (or simply potential) at a
point in an electric field is defined as the work done in moving a unit positive
charge from infinity to that point. The electric potential at infinity is assum
ed to be zero.
Force and potential energy are directly related. As an object moves in the direc
tion that the force accelerates it, its potential energy decreases. For example,
the gravitational potential energy of a cannonball at the top of a hill is grea
ter than at the base of the hill. As the object falls, that potential energy dec
reases and is translated to motion, or inertial (kinetic) energy.
For certain force fields, it is possible to define the "potential" of a field su
ch that the potential energy of an object due to a field depends only on the pos
ition of the object with respect to the field. Those forces must affect objects
depending only on the intrinsic properties of the object (e.g., mass or charge)
and the position of the object, and obey certain other mathematical rules.
Two such force fields are the gravitational force field (gravity) and the electr
ic field in the absence of time-varying magnetic fields. The potential of an ele
ctric field at a point is called the electric potential. The synonymous term "el
ectrostatic potential" is also in common use.
The electric potential and the magnetic vector potential together form a four ve
ctor, so that the two kinds of potential are mixed under Lorentz transformations
.
Electrostatics[edit]
Main article: Electrostatics
The electric potential at a point r in a static electric field E is given by the
line integral
V_\mathbf{E} = - \int_C \mathbf{E} \cdot \mathrm{d} \boldsymbol{\ell} \,
where C is an arbitrary path connecting the point with zero potential to r. When
the curl E is zero, the line integral above does not depend on the specific pat
h C chosen but only on its endpoints. In this case, the electric field is conser
vative and determined by the gradient of the potential:
\mathbf{E} = - \mathbf{\nabla} V_\mathbf{E}. \,
Then, by Gauss's law, the potential satisfies Poisson's equation:
\mathbf{\nabla} \cdot \mathbf{E} = \mathbf{\nabla} \cdot \left (- \mathbf{\nabla
} V_\mathbf{E} \right ) = -\nabla^2 V_\mathbf{E} = \rho / \varepsilon_0, \,
where is the total cha ge density (including bound cha ge) and denotes the diverg
ence.
The concept of electric potential is closely linked with potential energy. A tes
t charge q has an electric potential energy UE given by
U_ \mathbf{E} = q\,V. \,
The potential energy and hence also the electric potential is only defined up to
an additive constant: one must arbitrarily choose a position where the potentia
l energy and the electric potential are zero.

These equations cannot be used if the curl E 0, i.e., in the case of a nonconser
vative electric field (caused by a changing magnetic field; see Maxwell's equati
ons). The generalization of electric potential to this case is described below.
Electric potential due to a point charge[edit]
The
ill
Th
rg
electric potential created by a charge Q is V=Q/(4or). Diffrnt valus of Q w

mak diffrnt valus of lctric potntial V (shown in th imag).
lctric potntial cratd by a point charg Q, at a distanc r from th cha
(rlativ to th potntial at infinity), can b shown to b
V_\mathbf{E} = \frac{1}{4 \pi \varpsilon_0} \frac{Q}{r}, \,

whr 0 is th lctric constant (prmittivity of fr spac). This is known as t
h Coulomb potntial.
Th lctric potntial du to a systm of point chargs is qual to th sum of t
h point chargs' individual potntials. This fact simplifis calculations signi
ficantly, sinc addition of potntial (scalar) filds is much asir than additi
on of th lctric (vctor) filds.
Th quation givn abov for th lctric potntial (and all th quations usd
hr) ar in th forms rquird by SI units. In som othr (lss common) systms
of units, such as CGS-Gaussian, many of ths quations would b altrd.
Gnralization to lctrodynamics[dit]
Whn tim-varying magntic filds ar prsnt (which is tru whnvr thr ar
tim-varying lctric filds and vic vrsa), it is not possibl to dscrib th
lctric fild simply in trms of a scalar potntial V bcaus th lctric fi
ld is no longr consrvativ: \txtstyl\int_C \mathbf{E}\cdot \mathrm{d}\boldsy
mbol{\ll} is path-dpndnt bcaus \mathbf{\nabla} \tims \mathbf{E} \nq \mat
hbf{0} (Faraday's law of induction).
Instad, on can still dfin a scalar potntial by also including th magntic
vctor potntial A. In particular, A is dfind to satisfy:
\mathbf{B} = \mathbf{\nabla} \tims \mathbf{A}, \,
whr B is th magntic fild. Bcaus th divrgnc of th magntic fild is a
lways zro du to th absnc of magntic monopols, such an A can always b fou
nd. Givn this, th quantity
\mathbf{F} = \mathbf{E} + \frac{\partial\mathbf{A}}{\partial t}
is a consrvativ fild by Faraday's law and on can thrfor writ
\mathbf{E} = -\mathbf{\nabla}V - \frac{\partial\mathbf{A}}{\partial t}, \,
whr V is th scalar potntial dfind by th consrvativ fild F.
Th lctrostatic potntial is simply th spcial cas of this dfinition whr
A is tim-invariant. On th othr hand, for tim-varying filds,
-\int_a^b \mathbf{E} \cdot \mathrm{d}\boldsymbol{\ll} \nq V_{(b)} - V_{(a)}, \
,
unlik lctrostatics.
Units[dit]
Th SI unit of lctric potntial is th volt (in honour of Alssandro Volta), w
hich is why a diffrnc in lctric potntial btwn two points is known as vo
ltag. Oldr units ar rarly usd today. Variants of th cntimtr gram scond
systm of units includd a numbr of diffrnt units for lctric potntial, in
cluding th abvolt and th statvolt.

Galvani potntial vrsus lctrochmical potntial[dit]
Main articls: Galvani potntial, Elctrochmical potntial and Frmi lvl
Insid mtals (and othr solids and liquids), th nrgy of an lctron is affc
td not only by th lctric potntial, but also by th spcific atomic nvironm
nt that it is in. Whn a voltmtr is connctd btwn two diffrnt typs of
mtal, it masurs not th lctric potntial diffrnc, but instad th potnt
ial diffrnc corrctd for th diffrnt atomic nvironmnts.[1] Th quantity
masurd by a voltmtr is calld lctrochmical potntial or frmi lvl, whil
th pur unadjustd lctric potntial is somtims calld Galvani potntial.
Th trms "voltag" and "lctric potntial" ar a bit ambiguous in that, in pra
ctic, thy can rfr to ithr of ths in diffrnt contxts.

Potential

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Potential

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Objects may possess a property known as an electric charge.

An electric field exe

l energy and the electric potential are zero.

electric potential created by a charge Q is V=Q/(4or). Diffrnt valus of Q w

V_\mathbf{E} = \frac{1}{4 \pi \varpsilon_0} \frac{Q}{r}, \,

cluding th abvolt and th statvolt.

Вам также может понравиться