Understanding Electric Fields and Voltage: How Do They Relate?

  • Thread starter Thread starter RobertArvanitis
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Terminology
AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on clarifying the concepts of electric field, electric potential, electric potential energy, voltage, and the difference in voltage, highlighting the confusion caused by casual usage of these terms. Participants emphasize the need for precise definitions and the importance of context in understanding these concepts. A learner expresses frustration with the abstract nature of voltage, prompting a conversation about visualization and conceptualization. The discussion suggests that while analogies can help, they may not fully capture the complexities of electromagnetic forces. Ultimately, the conversation underscores the significance of curiosity and ongoing learning in grasping these fundamental physics concepts.
RobertArvanitis
Messages
9
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


How to explain, and distinguish among (or build up from initial definitions) the terms electric field, electric potential, electric potential energy, voltage, difference in voltage.
The usage in various sources is casual or insufficiently specific.

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

 
Physics news on Phys.org
Please post an attempt (as per forum rules).
 
RobertArvanitis said:

Homework Statement


How to explain, and distinguish among (or build up from initial definitions) the terms electric field, electric potential, electric potential energy, voltage, difference in voltage.
The usage in various sources is casual or insufficiently specific.

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

A new learner asks things like "I can manipulate equations and substitute values to solve, but what does what does voltage MEAN?!"
What do I reply? How to aid visualization / conceptualization? Not quite an analog to gravity, as there are attractive and repulsive forces in E&M.
 
Hello Rob, welcome to PF :smile:

Yes, it can be bewildering. And on top of that you have the sloppy everyday use of the same terms, often incorrect.

Your post doesn't give us a clue as to where you are or where this question comes from: there's no context. I'd be worried if you were close to wrapping up your PhD thesis in theoretical physics, but I wouldn't be surprised if you were a philosophy student (these seemingly simple questions go very deep very quickly). In fact, a lot of physics goes like "we haven't got the foggiest idea, but we can describe it predicitvely and to incredible accuracy".

My advice: read a lot and gradually you'll get the idea.

And: don't lose this beautiful sense of wonder and the curiosity to know more about everything. It's what drives science.
 
RobertArvanitis said:
A new learner asks things like "I can manipulate equations and substitute values to solve, but what does what does voltage MEAN?!"
What do I reply? How to aid visualization / conceptualization? Not quite an analog to gravity, as there are attractive and repulsive forces in E&M.
That's not what I took the original post to be about. I could answer that reasonably by discussing the relationships between the concepts, but now you seem to be more concerned with analogies and visualisation. Which is it?
 

Thread 'Rolling without slipping on a curved surface'

Kindly see the attached pdf. My attempt to solve it, is in it. I'm wondering if my solution is right. My idea is this: At any point of time, the ball may be assumed to be at an incline which is at an angle of θ(kindly see both the pics in the pdf file). The value of θ will continuously change and so will the value of friction. I'm not able to figure out, why my solution is wrong, if it is wrong .
View full post »
Thread 'Voltmeter readings for this circuit with switches'

Thread 'Voltmeter readings for this circuit with switches'

TL;DR Summary: I would like to know the voltmeter readings on the two resistors separately in the picture in the following cases , When one of the keys is closed When both of them are opened (Knowing that the battery has negligible internal resistance) My thoughts for the first case , one of them must be 12 volt while the other is 0 The second case we'll I think both voltmeter readings should be 12 volt since they are both parallel to the battery and they involve the key within what the...
View full post »
Thread 'Trying to understand the logic behind adding vectors with an angle between them'

Thread 'Trying to understand the logic behind adding vectors with an angle between them'

My initial calculation was to subtract V1 from V2 to show that from the perspective of the second aircraft the first one is -300km/h. So i checked with ChatGPT and it said I cant just subtract them because I have an angle between them. So I dont understand the reasoning of it. Like why should a velocity be dependent on an angle? I was thinking about how it would look like if the planes where parallel to each other, and then how it look like if one is turning away and I dont see it. Since...
View full post »

Similar threads

How do I incorporate electric fields into capacitors?
Replies
19
Views
2K
Electric field from voltage drop
Replies
1
Views
1K
Voltage, electric field and potential energy for concentric shells
Replies
3
Views
2K
Equipotential surface and electric field
Replies
8
Views
2K
Electric Potential Equations: Understanding and Applying in Non-Uniform Fields
Replies
1
Views
1K
Electric Potential and Electric fields
Replies
6
Views
2K
Understanding Capacitor Voltage and Capacity in a Circuit
Replies
13
Views
1K
Understand Electric Potential Energy, Difference & Potential
Replies
2
Views
2K
The Electric Potential Equation
Replies
1
Views
11K
Question about electric field doing work
Replies
16
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top