An isolated point charge is placed at the origin of a coordinate system.
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Fields and their consequences · Fields and their consequences
Problem
An isolated point charge is placed at the origin of a coordinate system.
(a) Define electric potential at a point in an electrostatic field.
(b) Give one reason why electric potential is treated as a scalar quantity, whereas the electric field is a vector quantity.
(c) A small positive test charge is moved from a point at 0.80m to a point at 0.40m from the isolated negative charge. Without using equations, explain how (i) the electric potential energy of the test charge and (ii) the electric potential at its location change during this displacement.