Electric potential difference is the change in electric potential energy per unit charge moved between two points.
Difficulty
Beginner
Read time
5 min
Prerequisites
Basic algebra and consistent SI units
Source
OpenStax, College Physics 2e, §19.1 (Paul Peter Urone and Roger Hinrichs)Textbook reference retained from the OpenFormulaGraph dataset; adaptation credits and license are provided below.
Adapted from OpenFormulaGraph, under CC BY 4.0.
FormuLab adapted the notation, explanations, assumptions, and topic placement, and expanded the numerical check into a worked example.
Electric potential difference is the change in electric potential energy per unit charge moved between two points. A signed charge and a signed energy change must be used consistently to obtain the voltage difference.
| Symbol | Meaning | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Electric potential difference | ||
| Change in electric potential energy | ||
| Signed test charge |
Relate potential energy changes to voltage.
Find the energy change from a known potential difference.
A +4.00 µC charge gains 0.00200 J of electric potential energy between two points. Find the potential difference, final minus initial.
Textbook reference retained from the OpenFormulaGraph dataset; adaptation credits and license are provided below.
Adapted from OpenFormulaGraph, under CC BY 4.0.
FormuLab adapted the notation, explanations, assumptions, and topic placement, and expanded the numerical check into a worked example.
Assumptions
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