Electrostatics

Electric potential, potential difference, and capacitors

Electric Potential

  1. Electric potential is the amount of work done to bring a unit positive charge from infinity to a point in an electric field.
  2. It is a scalar quantity and is measured in volts (V).
  3. The formula for electric potential due to a point charge is \( V = k \frac{q}{r} \), where \( q \) is the charge and \( r \) is the distance.
  4. The reference potential is usually taken as zero at infinity.
  5. Positive charges create regions of high potential, and ne

Electric charge, Coulomb’s law, electric field

Electric Charge

  1. Electric charge is a fundamental property of matter that causes it to experience a force in an electric field.
  2. There are two types of charges: positive and negative.
  3. Like charges repel each other, and unlike charges attract each other.
  4. Charge is measured in coulombs (C).
  5. Quantization of charge states that charge exists in discrete packets, as multiples of the elementary charge e (1.6 × 10-19
Electrostatics