Chapter 16

Electric Energy
and
Capacitance
Electric Potential Energy
 The electrostatic force is a
conservative force
 It is possible to define an electrical
potential energy function with this
force
 Work done by a conservative force
is equal to the negative of the
change in potential energy
 Work and Potential Energy
 There is a uniform
field between the
two plates
 As the charge moves
from A to B, work is
done on it
 W = Fd=q Ex (xf – xi)
 ∆PE = - W
= - q Ex (xf – xi)
 only for a uniform
field
Potential Difference
 The potential difference between points
A and B is defined as the change in the
potential energy (final value minus
initial value) of a charge q moved from
A to B divided by the size of the charge
 ∆V = VB – VA = ∆PE / q
 Potential difference is not the same as
potential energy
Potential Difference, cont.
 Another way to relate the energy and
the potential difference: ∆PE = q ∆V
 Both electric potential energy and
potential difference are scalar quantities
 Units of potential difference
 V = J/C
 A special case occurs when there is a
uniform electric field

V = VB – VA= -Ex x

Gives more information about units: N/C = V/m
Energy and Charge
Movements
 A positive charge gains electrical
potential energy when it is moved in a
direction opposite the electric field
 If a charge is released in the electric field,
it experiences a force and accelerates,
gaining kinetic energy
 As it gains kinetic energy, it loses an equal
amount of electrical potential energy
 A negative charge loses electrical
potential energy when it moves in the
direction opposite the electric field
 Energy and Charge
Movements, cont
 When the electric field
is directed downward,
point B is at a lower
potential than point A
 A positive test charge
that moves from A to B
loses electric potential
energy
 It will gain the same
amount of kinetic
energy as it loses in
potential energy
Summary of Positive Charge
Movements and Energy
 When a positive charge is placed in
an electric field
 It moves in the direction of the field
 It moves from a point of higher
potential to a point of lower potential
 Its electrical potential energy
decreases
 Its kinetic energy increases
Summary of Negative Charge
Movements and Energy
 When a negative charge is placed in an
electric field
 It moves opposite to the direction of the
field
 It moves from a point of lower potential to a
point of higher potential
 Its electrical potential energy increases
 Its kinetic energy increases
 Work has to be done on the charge for it to
move from point A to point B
Electric Potential of a Point
Charge
 The point of zero electric potential is
taken to be at an infinite distance from
the charge
 The potential created by a point charge
q at any distance r from the charge is
q
V =k e
r
 A potential exists at some point in space
whether or not there is a test charge at
that point
 Electric Field and Electric
Potential Depend on Distance
 The electric field
is proportional to
1/r2
 The electric
potential is
proportional to 1/r
Electric Potential of
Multiple Point Charges
 Superposition principle applies
 The total electric potential at some
point P due to several point
charges is the algebraic sum of the
electric potentials due to the
individual charges
 The algebraic sum is used because
potentials are scalar quantities
 Electrical Potential Energy
of Two Charges
 V1 is the electric
potential due to q1 at
some point P
 The work required to
bring q2 from infinity to
P without acceleration
is q2V1
 This work is equal to
the potential energy of
the two particleqsystem
q
PE =q2 V1 =k e 1 2
r
Notes About Electric Potential
Energy of Two Charges
 If the charges have the same sign, PE is
positive
 Positive work must be done to force the two
charges near one another
 The like charges would repel
 If the charges have opposite signs, PE is
negative
 The force would be attractive
 Work must be done to hold back the unlike
charges from accelerating as they are
brought close together
Problem Solving with Electric
Potential (Point Charges)
 Draw a diagram of all charges
 Note the point of interest
 Calculate the distance from each charge
to the point of interest
 Use the basic equation V = keq/r
 Include the sign
 The potential is positive if the charge is
positive and negative if the charge is
negative
Problem Solving with Electric
Potential, cont
 Use the superposition principle
when you have multiple charges
 Take the algebraic sum
 Remember that potential is a
scalar quantity
 So no components to worry about
Potentials and Charged
Conductors
 Since W = -q(VB – VA), no work is required
to move a charge between two points
that are at the same electric potential

W = 0 when VA = VB
 All points on the surface of a charged
conductor in electrostatic equilibrium are
at the same potential
 Therefore, the electric potential is a
constant everywhere on the surface of a
charged conductor in equilibrium
 Conductors in Equilibrium
 The conductor has an excess of
positive charge
 All of the charge resides at the
surface
 E = 0 inside the conductor
 The electric field just outside
the conductor is perpendicular
to the surface
 The potential is a constant
everywhere on the surface of
the conductor
 The potential everywhere inside
the conductor is constant and
equal to its value at the surface
 The Electron Volt
 The electron volt (eV) is defined as the
energy that an electron gains when
accelerated through a potential
difference of 1 V
 Electrons in normal atoms have energies of
10’s of eV
 Excited electrons have energies of 1000’s of
eV
 High energy gamma rays have energies of
millions of eV
 1 eV = 1.6 x 10-19 J
Equipotential Surfaces
 An equipotential surface is a
surface on which all points are at
the same potential
 No work is required to move a charge
at a constant speed on an
equipotential surface
 The electric field at every point on an
equipotential surface is perpendicular
to the surface
Equipotentials and Electric
Fields Lines – Positive Charge
 The equipotentials
for a point charge
are a family of
spheres centered on
the point charge
 The field lines are
perpendicular to the
electric potential at
all points
Equipotentials and Electric
Fields Lines – Dipole
 Equipotential lines
are shown in blue
 Electric field lines
are shown in red
 The field lines are
perpendicular to
the equipotential
lines at all points
Capacitance
 A capacitor is a device used in a
variety of electric circuits
 The capacitance, C, of a capacitor
is defined as the ratio of the
magnitude of the charge on either
conductor (plate) to the magnitude
of the potential difference
between the conductors (plates)
Capacitance, cont

 Units: Farad (F)

 1F=1C/V
 A Farad is very large

Often will see µF or pF
Parallel-Plate Capacitor
 The capacitance of a device
depends on the geometric
arrangement of the conductors
 For a parallel-plate capacitor
whose plates are separated by air:
A
C =ε o
d
 Parallel-Plate Capacitor,
Example
 The capacitor consists of
two parallel plates
 Each have area A
 They are separated by a
distance d
 The plates carry equal and
opposite charges
 When connected to the
battery, charge is pulled off
one plate and transferred to
the other plate
 The transfer stops when
Vcap = Vbattery
Electric Field in a Parallel-
Plate Capacitor
 The electric field
between the plates
is uniform
 Near the center
 Nonuniform near the
edges
 The field may be
taken as constant
throughout the
region between the
plates
Capacitors in Circuits
 A circuit is a collection of objects
usually containing a source of
electrical energy (such as a
battery) connected to elements
that convert electrical energy to
other forms
 A circuit diagram can be used to
show the path of the real circuit
Capacitors in Parallel
 When capacitors are first connected in the
circuit, electrons are transferred from the
left plates through the battery to the right
plate, leaving the left plate positively
charged and the right plate negatively
charged
 The flow of charges ceases when the
voltage across the capacitors equals that
of the battery
 The capacitors reach their maximum
charge when the flow of charge ceases
Capacitors in Parallel
 The total charge is
equal to the sum of
the charges on the
capacitors

Qtotal = Q1 + Q2
 The potential
difference across the
capacitors is the
same
 And each is equal to
the voltage of the
battery
More About Capacitors in
Parallel
 The capacitors can
be replaced with one
capacitor with a
capacitance of Ceq
 The equivalent
capacitor must have
exactly the same
external effect on the
circuit as the original
capacitors
Capacitors in Parallel, final
 Ceq = C1 + C2 + …
 The equivalent capacitance of a
parallel combination of capacitors
is greater than any of the
individual capacitors
 Capacitors in Series
 When a battery is connected to the circuit,
electrons are transferred from the left plate of
C1 to the right plate of C2 through the battery
 As this negative charge accumulates on the
right plate of C2, an equivalent amount of
negative charge is removed from the left
plate of C2, leaving it with an excess positive
charge
 All of the right plates gain charges of –Q and
all the left plates have charges of +Q
More About Capacitors in
Series

 An equivalent capacitor can be found that

performs the same function as the series
combination
 The potential differences add up to the battery
voltage
Capacitors in Series, cont

ΔV = V1 + V2
1 1 1
= +
Ceq C1 C2
 The equivalent capacitance of a
series combination is always less
than any individual capacitor in the
combination
Energy Stored in a
Capacitor
 Energy stored = 1/2 Q ∆V
 From the definition of capacitance,
this can be rewritten in different
forms
2
1 1 Q
Energy = QΔV = CΔV 2 =
2 2 2C
 Capacitors with Dielectrics
 A dielectric is an insulating material
that, when placed between the plates of
a capacitor, increases the capacitance
 Dielectrics include rubber, plastic, or waxed
paper
 C = KCo = Ko(A/d)
 The capacitance is multiplied by the factor K
when the dielectric completely fills the
region between the plates
Capacitors with Dielectrics
Dielectric Strength
 For any given plate separation,
there is a maximum electric field
that can be produced in the
dielectric before it breaks down
and begins to conduct
 This maximum electric field is
called the dielectric strength
An Atomic Description of
Dielectrics
 Polarization occurs when there is a
separation between the “centers of
gravity” of its negative charge and
its positive charge
 In a capacitor, the dielectric
becomes polarized because it is in
an electric field that exists
between the plates
 More Atomic Description
 The presence of the
positive charge on
the dielectric
effectively reduces
some of the negative
charge on the metal
 This allows more
negative charge on
the plates for a given
applied voltage
 The capacitance
increases