Not textbook- took it to revise knowledge
Electric potential, also called voltage, is a concept that helps us understand the potential energy stored in an electric field due to the presence of electric charges.
You have a hill (representing an electric field) and a ball (representing a charged particle).
The height of the hill (electric potential) determines the potential energy the ball has at that location. The higher the hill, the more potential energy the ball has.
Similarly, electric potential tells you the amount of potential energy a charged particle would have at a specific point in an electric field.
Electric potential is the amount of work needed per unit of electric charge to move the charge from a reference point (often chosen as zero potential, like the ground) to a specific point in an electric field.
Key points to remember:
Electric potential is measured in Volts (V).
It's not the total energy, but the energy per unit charge.
The difference in electric potential between two points (often denoted by ΔV) is called voltage. This is what matters when it comes to causing electric current to flow in a circuit.
A higher electric potential indicates a region with more potential energy for a charged particle.
Analogy:
Think of electric potential like water pressure. Higher pressure (potential) means water has more potential energy to do work (like spinning a turbine).
Electric potential helps us understand how charged particles behave in an electric field and how electrical circuits function. It's a crucial concept in electrostatics.