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distinguish b/w electric potential and potential energy.

distinguish b/w electric potential and potential energy.

Grade:Upto college level

1 Answers

Apoorva Arora IIT Roorkee
askIITians Faculty 181 Points
9 years ago
Let's look at two points in an electric circuit. At one point the electric potential is 3 volts. At the other point the electric potential (or voltage) is 2 volts.
The electric potential energy at the 3-volt point is the amount of energy that electric charges would lose if it went from that point to ground (which is zero volts).
Which would be one-and-a-half times more than the energy lost if the same amount of electric charges went from the 2-volt point to the ground.
An analogy: Imagine a ball at 3 metres above the ground. This corresponds to the electric potential of 3 volts. Another ball (of the same mass) is 2 metres above the ground. The ball at 3 metres high has more potential energy than the one at the 2 metre height -- exactly 1.5 times more.
Electric potential is measured in volts.
Electric potential energy is measured in joules.
Thanks and Regards
Apoorva Arora
IIT Roorkee
askIITians Faculty

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