Download - Unit 103 power_point_3_potential_difference
Potential difference
Potential difference
A ball held off the ground has potential.
Its potential is, it could fall and hit the
ground.
Similarly, a cell or battery with
positive and negative plates has the
potential to cause electron drift.
The force which pushes electrons along a
conductor is an emf.
We use a battery or generator to produce an emf.
The emf is measured by the
number of joules of work needed to push one coulomb of electrons along a circuit.
It is measured with the unit joules per coulomb.
It is better known as the volt.
We can say that:
one volt = one joule/coulomb.
Note
When a coulomb of electrons leaves a battery
or generator it has a potential energy
measured in joules. As it travels
around the circuit the energy is used up, so
when it arrives back at the battery it has
no energy at all.
Electromotive force (e)= E (energy in joules,J)
Q (charge in coulombs,C)
The amount of energy that a coulomb uses
as it goes between any two points in a
circuit is known as the potential
difference. It is measured in
joules/coulomb or volts.
To understand this, think of a marathon
runner. At the start of the race they are
fresh and full of energy. But as the race
goes on they use up energy until at the
end they have no energy left.
So at the start they have the energy
(potential) to run the race. At the end
they no longer have the ability (potential) to
run a race. They have used up all their
energy.
The gap between the two is the potential
difference.
We can say that a current couldn’t exist
without a potential difference.
Magnetic effect of current
When current flows, heat is produced.
It also creates a magnetic effect.
When a conductor carries current around
a circuit, a magnetic field will be produced
around the conductor.
When current passes through a wire a small magnetic field is produced. The direction of
the “flux” lines or magnetic field lines is dependent on current.