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Chapter 16: Q17Q (page 663)

A Student said, “The electric field at the center of a charged spherical shell is zero, so the potential at that location is also zero.” Explain to the student why this statement is incorrect.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The potential is not always zero but can be continuous when electric field is zero. statement is incorrect

Step by step solution

01

Concept/Significance of electric field.

An electric field is a mathematical construct that represents the amount and direction of the net electrical force experienced by a unit of electrical charge at a particular place in space as a result of interaction with all other electrical charges in the area.

02

Explanation of the incorrect statement

The electric potential is not necessarily zero when there is no electric field, but potential will be continuous. The potential is identical to that which can be seen on the surface of sphere. There would be no possible difference between the surface and center of the sphere.

Thus, the potential is not always zero but can be continuous when electric field is zero. statement is incorrect

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Most popular questions from this chapter

If the electric field exceeds about 3×106 N/C in air, a spark occurs. Approximately, what is the absolute value of the maximum possible potential difference between the plates of a capacitor whose gap is 3 mm, without causing a spark in the air between them?

Location A is a distance d from a charged particle. Location B is a distance 2d from the particle. Which of the following statements are true? It may help to draw a diagram. (1) If the charge of the particle is negative, VB-VAis negative. (2) If the charge of the particle is positive, (VA<VB). (3) If VB<VA, we know that the particle must be positive. (4) VB<VA, regardless of the sign of the charge of the particle. (5) The sign of(VB-VA)does not give us any information about the sign of the charge of the particle.

In the region of space depicted in Figure 16.87 there are several stationary charged objects that are not shown in the diagram. Along a path A=B=C=D you measure the following potential differences:VB−VA=12 V ;VC−VB=−5 V ; VD−VC=−15 V. What is the potential differenceVA−VD ?

You move from location i at ⟨2,5,4⟩ mto location f at ⟨3,5,9⟩ m. All along this path there is a nearby uniform electric field whose value is⟨1000,200,-500⟩ N/C. . Calculate,ΔV=Vf-Vi including signs and units.

A rod uniformly charged with charge \( - q\) is bent into a semicircular arc of radius\(b\), as shown in Figure 16.97. What is the potential relative to infinity at location\(A\), at the center of the arc?
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