Potential vs. Potential energy

In summary, the electric field is the negative divergence of the potential, which is a scaler function for a conservative field. The negative derivative is taken because the force should point towards points of lower potential for positive charges. The potential energy is dependent on the charge of the object and is not the same as potential. Going down in potential energy means moving towards points of lower potential, which is determined by the charge of the object. The convention for potential and potential energy is used to avoid confusion in situations of attraction and repulsion.
  • #1
Shan K
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I was reading electrostatic and found out that the electric field is just the negetive divergence of potential . My questions are why are we taking the negetive divergence ? Electric field is a conservative field and so it can be written as divergence of a scaler function but why we ar taking the negetive one instead of positive . And is this potential and potential energy are same ?
 
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  • #2
If you go down in potential energy, you lose energy. Therefore, the force should point towards points of lower potential. The direction of electric field is the force for positive charges (convention), therefore you have to take the negative derivative of the potential to get the electric field.
The potential energy depends on the charge of the object.
 
  • #3
mfb said:
If you go down in potential energy, you lose energy. Therefore, the force should point towards points of lower potential. The direction of electric field is the force for positive charges (convention), therefore you have to take the negative derivative of the potential to get the electric field.
The potential energy depends on the charge of the object.

what do u mean by 'go down in the potential energy ' is it going nearer to the object who is responsible for the electric field ?
 
  • #4
If that object has a negative charge, yes, otherwise no.

"down" -> lower potential (=lower potential energy with positive charges)
 
  • #5
If you 'get work out' when you move from A to B, then B is at a lower potential than A. If you have to put work in, B is a higher potential. That's the convention that's used and always applies. It avoids any confusion for situations of attraction and repulsion.
 
  • #6
So are u saying that potential and potential energy are same ?
 
  • #7
No, potential energy is the potential multiplied by the charge of your object.
 
  • #8
O. Thats great . Thanks
 

FAQ: Potential vs. Potential energy

What is the difference between potential and potential energy?

Potential is a property of a system that describes its ability to do work, while potential energy is a measure of the energy stored in a system due to its position or configuration.

How does potential affect potential energy?

The higher the potential of a system, the greater the potential energy stored within it. This means that the more work the system is capable of doing, the more energy it has.

How is potential energy converted into other forms of energy?

Potential energy can be converted into other forms of energy, such as kinetic energy, thermal energy, or chemical energy, through the process of work. When work is done on a system, its potential energy decreases and is converted into another form of energy.

Can potential energy be negative?

Yes, potential energy can be negative. This typically occurs when the reference point for potential energy is chosen to be at a higher energy level than the system's natural state. In this case, the potential energy of the system is negative because it requires work to bring it back to its natural state.

How is potential energy related to the concept of gravitational potential?

Gravitational potential is a type of potential energy that is determined by the position of an object in a gravitational field. As an object moves further away from the source of the gravitational field, its gravitational potential energy increases. This is because the object has to do work against the gravitational force to move away from the source.

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