CurrentElectricityLesson1ElectricPotentialDifference

ElectricFieldandtheMovementofCharge
ElectricFieldandtheMovementofCharge
ElectricPotential
ElectricPotentialDifference

Perhapsoneofthemostusefulyettakenforgrantedaccomplishmentsoftherecentcenturiesis
thedevelopmentofelectriccircuits.Theflowofchargethroughwiresallowsustocookourfood,
lightourhomes,airconditionourworkandlivingspace,entertainuswithmoviesandmusicand
evenallowsustodrivetoworkorschoolsafely.InthisunitofThePhysicsClassroom,wewill
explorethereasonsforwhychargeflowsthroughwiresofelectriccircuitsandthevariablesthat
affecttherateatwhichitflows.Themeansbywhichmovingchargedeliverselectricalenergyto
appliancesinordertooperatethemwillbediscussedindetail.
Oneofthefundamentalprinciplesthatmustbeunderstoodinordertograspelectriccircuits
pertainstotheconceptofhowanelectricfieldcaninfluencechargewithinacircuitasit
movesfromonelocationtoanother.Theconceptofelectricfieldwasfirst
introducedintheunitonStaticElectricity.Inthatunit,electricforcewas
describedasanoncontactforce.Achargedballooncanhavean
attractiveeffectuponanoppositelychargedballoonevenwhentheyare
notincontact.Theelectricforceactsoverthedistanceseparatingthe
twoobjects.Electricforceisanactionatadistanceforce.
Actionatadistanceforcesaresometimesreferredtoasfieldforces.The
conceptofafieldforceisutilizedbyscientiststoexplainthisrather
unusualforcephenomenonthatoccursintheabsenceofphysicalcontact.Thespacesurrounding
achargedobjectisaffectedbythepresenceofthechargeanelectricfieldisestablishedinthat
space.Achargedobjectcreatesanelectricfieldanalterationofthespaceorfieldintheregion
thatsurroundsit.Otherchargesinthatfieldwouldfeeltheunusualalterationofthespace.
Whetherachargedobjectentersthatspaceornot,theelectricfieldexists.Spaceisalteredby
thepresenceofachargedobjectotherobjectsinthatspaceexperiencethestrangeand
mysteriousqualitiesofthespace.Asanotherchargedobjectentersthespaceandmovesdeeper
anddeeperintothefield,theeffectofthefieldbecomesmoreandmorenoticeable.
Electricfieldisavectorquantitywhosedirectionisdefinedasthedirectionthatapositivetest
chargewouldbepushedwhenplacedinthefield.Thus,theelectricfielddirectionabouta
positivesourcechargeisalwaysdirectedawayfromthepositivesource.Andtheelectricfield
directionaboutanegativesourcechargeisalwaysdirectedtowardthenegativesource.

ElectricField,Work,andPotentialEnergy
Electricfieldsaresimilartogravitationalfieldsbothinvolveactionatadistanceforces.Inthe
caseofgravitationalfields,thesourceofthefieldisamassiveobjectandtheactionatadistance
forcesareexerteduponothermasses.Whentheconceptoftheforceofgravityandenergywas
discussedinUnit5ofthePhysicsClassroom,itwasmentionedthattheforceofgravityisan
internalorconservativeforce.Whengravitydoesworkuponanobjecttomoveitfromahigh
locationtoalowerlocation,theobject'stotalamountofmechanicalenergyisconserved.
However,duringthecourseofthefallingmotion,therewasalossofpotentialenergy(andagain
ofkineticenergy).Whengravitydoesworkuponanobjecttomoveitinthedirectionofthe
gravitationalfield,thentheobjectlosespotentialenergy.Thepotentialenergyoriginallystored
withintheobjectasaresultofitsverticalpositionislostastheobjectmovesundertheinfluence
ofthegravitationalfield.Ontheotherhand,energywouldberequiredtomoveamassiveobject
againstitsgravitationalfield.Astationaryobjectwouldnotnaturallymoveagainstthefieldand
gainpotentialenergy.Energyintheformofworkwouldhavetobeimpartedtotheobjectbyan
externalforceinorderforittogainthisheightandthecorrespondingpotentialenergy.

Theimportantpointtobemadebythisgravitationalanalogyisthatworkmustbedonebyan
externalforcetomoveanobjectagainstnaturefromlowpotentialenergytohighpotential
energy.Ontheotherhand,objectsnaturallymovefromhighpotentialenergytolowpotential
energyundertheinfluenceofthefieldforce.Itissimplynaturalforobjectstomovefromhigh
energytolowenergybutworkisrequiredtomoveanobjectfromlowenergytohighenergy.
Inasimilarmanner,tomoveachargeinanelectricfieldagainstitsnaturaldirectionofmotion
wouldrequirework.Theexertionofworkbyanexternalforcewouldinturnaddpotentialenergy
totheobject.Thenaturaldirectionofmotionofanobjectisfromhighenergytolowenergybut
workmustbedonetomovetheobjectagainstnature.Ontheotherhand,workwouldnotbe
requiredtomoveanobjectfromahighpotentialenergylocationtoalowpotentialenergy
location.Whenthisprincipleislogicallyextendedtothemovementofchargewithinanelectric
field,therelationshipbetweenwork,energyandthedirectionthatachargemovesbecomesmore
obvious.

Considerthediagramaboveinwhichapositivesourcechargeiscreatinganelectricfieldanda
positivetestchargebeingmovedagainstandwiththefield.InDiagramA,thepositivetest

directionwouldbelikegoingagainstnature.Thus,workwouldberequiredtomovetheobject
fromlocationAtolocationBandthepositivetestchargewouldbegainingpotentialenergyinthe
process.Thiswouldbeanalogoustomovingamassintheuphilldirectionworkwouldbe
requiredtocausesuchanincreaseingravitationalpotentialenergy.InDiagramB,thepositive
testchargeisbeingmovedwiththefieldfromlocationBtolocationA.Thismotionwouldbe
naturalandnotrequireworkfromanexternalforce.Thepositivetestchargewouldbelosing
energyinmovingfromlocationBtolocationA.Thiswouldbeanalogoustoamassfalling
downwarditwouldoccurnaturallyandbeaccompaniedbyalossofgravitationalpotential
energy.Onecanconcludefromthisdiscussionthatthehighenergylocationforapositivetest
chargeisalocationnearestthepositivesourcechargeandthelowenergylocationisfurthest
away.
Theabovediscussionpertainedtomovingapositivetestchargewithintheelectricfieldcreated
byapositivesourcecharge.Nowwewillconsiderthemotionofthesamepositivetestcharge
withintheelectricfieldcreatedbyanegativesourcecharge.Thesameprincipleregardingwork
andpotentialenergywillbeusedtoidentifythelocationsofhighandlowenergy.

InDiagramC,thepositivetestchargeismovingfromlocationAtolocationBinthedirectionof
theelectricfield.ThismovementwouldbenaturallikeamassfallingtowardsEarth.Workwould
notberequiredtocausesuchamotionanditwouldbeaccompaniedbyalossofpotential
energy.InDiagramD,thepositivetestchargeismovingfromlocationBtolocationAagainstthe
electricfield.Workwouldberequiredtocausethismotionitwouldbeanalogoustoraisinga
masswithinEarth'sgravitationalfield.Sinceenergyisimpartedtothetestchargeintheformof
work,thepositivetestchargewouldbegainingpotentialenergyastheresultofthemotion.One
canconcludefromthisdiscussionthatthelowenergylocationforapositivetestchargeisa
locationnearestanegativesourcechargeandthehighenergylocationisalocationfurthestaway
fromanegativesourcecharge.

Aswebegintodiscusscircuits,wewillapplytheseprinciplesregardingworkandpotentialenergy
tothemovementofchargeaboutacircuit.Justaswereasonedhere,movingapositivetest
chargeagainsttheelectricfieldwillrequireworkandresultinagaininpotentialenergy.Onthe
otherhand,apositivetestchargewillnaturallymoveinthedirectionofthefieldwithouttheneed
forworkbeingdoneonitthismovementwillresultinthelossofpotentialenergy.Beforemaking
thisapplicationtoelectriccircuits,weneedtofirstexplorethemeaningoftheconceptelectric
potential.