CH.PHYSICS

Nov 15, 20191 min

Can there be electric potential at a point with zero electric intensity?

QUESTION:

Can there be electric potential at a point with zero electric intensity? Give an example.

ANSWER:

Yes. At the midpoint of line joining two similar charges, electric field E is zero but electric potential V will exist because net potential is a scalar addition. But electric field is a vector addition so due to equal and opposite electric fields at mid point net electric field is zero.

Examples:

Inside a charged hallow spherical shell field is zero but potential is not zero (a constant).

Inside a charged conducting solid sphere electric field is zero but potential is a constant.

    210
    0