If a negative charge is initially at rest in an electric ﬁeld, will it move toward a region of higher potential or lower potential? What about a positive charge? How does the potential energy of the charge change in each instance? Explain.

Question

Physics

Clayton Harmon

20 January, 10:26

If a negative charge is initially at rest in an electric ﬁeld, will it move toward a region of higher potential or lower potential? What about a positive charge? How does the potential energy of the charge change in each instance? Explain.

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Answers (1)

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Dillan Elliott · Answer 1

Answer with explanation:

The negative sign means that the potential energy decreases by the movement of the electron.

negative charge at rest in an electric field moves toward the region of an electric field, so that its potential energy will diminish and change into the kinetic energy of motion. The total energy remains constant.

Positive charges will move downhill because of convention. It is to stay in accordance with other potential theories, particularly gravity, where the "charge" is mass, that moves downwards in the gravitational potential field expressed by ϕ (r) = -GM|r|ϕ (r) = -GM|r|. In an electronic system, howbeit, positive charges are fixed in their position within a component (e. g., a wire), therefore instead of the mobile, the negative charges, electrons, move uphill.