Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering the fundamental concepts of electric potential, charge behavior in materials, and capacitor properties based on the lecture notes.

Electric potential

The work done per unit test charge in bringing a positive test charge from infinity to a specific point in an electric field.

Potential difference

The difference in electrostatic potential between two distinct points in an electric field.

Equipotential surfaces

Surfaces throughout which the electric potential remains constant at every point.

Electrical potential energy

The energy stored in a system consisting of two-point charges or an electric dipole when placed in an electrostatic field.

Conductors

Materials that permit the easy flow of electric charges due to the presence of free charges.

Insulators

Materials that do not allow the free flow of electric charges.

Free charges

Charges within a conductor that are not attached to any individual atom and are free to move throughout the material.

Bound charges

Charges within a conductor or dielectric that are fixed to atoms or molecules and cannot move freely.

Dielectrics

Non-conducting materials that can be polarized by an external electric field.

Electric polarization

The process of creating or aligning electric dipoles within a dielectric material under the influence of an electric field.

Capacitors

Devices designed to store electrical charge and energy in an electric field.

Capacitance

The ratio of the magnitude of the charge $Q$ on either conductor to the potential difference $V$ between them, expressed as $C = \frac{Q}{V}$.

Combination of capacitors in series

A configuration where capacitors are connected end-to-end so that the charge $Q$ on each capacitor is the same.

Combination of capacitors in parallel

A configuration where capacitors are connected across the same two points, ensuring the potential difference $V$ is the same across each.

Parallel plate capacitor

A device consisting of two parallel conducting plates of a certain area separated by a distance, with or without a dielectric medium.

Energy stored in a capacitor

The electrical potential energy stored in the electric field between the plates of a capacitor when it is charged.