Explain Electric Potential: A Positive Charge

[numbb]

"A positive point charge, when subjected to electric force only, tends to move from a region of higher potential towards a region of lower potential while a negative charge moves in the opposite way."
I don't understand this statement. Can someone explain it to me?

 

[K^2]

Picture potential as a hill. Put a marble somewhere. It rolls downhill. That's basically how this tells you the positive charge will behave. Negative charge will move in the opposite direction.

 

[numbb]

but why would negative charge move in the opposite direction??

 

[jtbell]

For a given electric field (and potential), the electric force is in opposite directions on positive and negative charges.

 

[sardar]

Electric potential is a measure of the electric potential energy per unit charge at a point in an electric field. In simpler terms, it is the amount of work that would need to be done to move a unit positive charge from one point to another in an electric field.

In the context of the statement, a positive point charge refers to a particle with a positive charge, such as a proton. When this positive charge is placed in an electric field, it will experience a force due to the interaction between its charge and the electric field. This force will cause the positive charge to move in a certain direction.

The statement explains that a positive charge will tend to move from a region of higher potential to a region of lower potential. In other words, the positive charge will naturally move towards areas where the electric potential is lower. This is because the electric potential is a measure of the energy needed to move a charge, so a lower potential means less energy is required for the charge to move.

On the other hand, a negative charge, such as an electron, will move in the opposite direction. This is because the force on a negative charge is in the opposite direction compared to a positive charge, and so it will move towards regions of higher potential.

Overall, the statement is describing the behavior of charges in an electric field based on the concept of electric potential. Positive charges will move towards lower potential, while negative charges will move towards higher potential. This is a fundamental principle in understanding the behavior of electric charges in an electric field.