What is the potential of the earth considered zero and what happens if a positive charge is moved in the direction of an electric field?
In electrostatics, the electric potential at a point is defined as the work done per unit charge in bringing a small positive charge from infinity to that point. The electric potential is measured in volts (V).
The electric potential of the Earth is considered zero because of its enormous size. Any charge that we can transfer to or from the Earth is negligible compared to the total charge on the Earth, so it does not have a significant effect on the Earth's potential.
If a positive charge is moved in the direction of an electric field, the positive charge will accelerate in the direction of the electric field. This is because the electric field exerts a force on the positive charge in the direction of the electric field. The magnitude of the force is equal to the product of the magnitude of the charge and the magnitude of the electric field.
The direction of the electric field is always from a region of high potential to a region of low potential. This means that a positive charge will always move in the direction of the electric field.
The energy of a charged particle moving in an electric field is equal to the product of the charge and the electric potential. This means that the energy of a positive charge will increase as it moves in the direction of an electric field.
Yes, by convection, electrostatic potential of earth is taken to be zero. It is considered that earth is a storehouse of infinite negative charges. So, most points are at a positive potential. V=qC , As C is very large, ∴V→0 for all finite charges. Hence earth is considered as zero of potential. Voltage as the difference of electric potentials between points in an electric field. A voltmeter is used to measure the potential difference between some point and a reference point. This common reference point is denoted "ground" and considered to have zero potential. If the electric field at a certain point is zero, then the electric potential at the same point is also zero. And electric potential is inversely proportional to the strength of the electric field. If the positive charge moves in the direction of the field, the field does positive work on the charge. If the negative charge moves opposite the direction of the field, the field does positive work on the charge. If the negative charge moves in the direction of the field, the field does negative work on the charge. Thus, if we move a positive charge in the direction of the electric field then we do negative work. Likewise, if we move a positive charge in the opposite direction to the electric field then we do positive work. An isolated charge q in an electric field experiences a force F = qE. We note that when q is positive the force points in the same direction as the field, but when q is negative, the force is opposite the field direction. When a positive charge moves in the opposite direction of the electric field, the field does negative work on it and the electrical potential energy associated with the charge increases. In electrostatics, the electric potential at a point is defined as the work done per unit charge in bringing a small positive charge from infinity to that point. The electric potential is measured in volts (V). The electric potential of the Earth is considered zero because of its enormous size.A positive charge placed in an electric field will tend to move in the direction of the electric field lines and a negative charge will tend to move opposite to the direction of the electric field lines.
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