Muddling My Way Through Voltage
I'm still struggling with the concept of voltage, but here'smy understanding so far:
Electrostaticpotential is how much work it takes to move a test charge through a field. (W=F∙dr) This requires areference point- I am moving the charge from a certain point to another point. These reference points become the limits of integration, and theequation with substitutions works out to be q1q2/(4πεor)when the charge is moved from zero potential (at infinity). However, to make this measure more helpful weeliminate the charge and make electrical potential (voltage/ potentialdifference) equal to work per unit charge to move any test charge in the givenfield. Therefore the equation forvoltage from a point charge is q/(4πεor). However, this is just a restatement of ournotes and what really gives me trouble is trying to conceptualize voltage. It seems that a common analogy to explainvoltage is a closed circuit of pipes with a pump. Apparently electrical potential can belikened to water pressure in that water (charges) will flow from areas of highpressure (aka potential) to low. In thisscenario potential difference would be the difference in water pressure. Apparently voltage actually used to be called"electrical pressure." Also,voltage can be thought of as the ability to do work. Although this statement requires looking atthings from another perspective- how much work is done when a charge goes fromhigh potential to low- it makes sense when you think about how batteries arerated by voltage. I guess what reallyconfuses me about voltage is that it is not a concrete event or force, but insteada measure of "potential" as in: if I had a hypothetical test chargewhat would be the work necessary to move it from here to there. It's almost as confusing as how fields are a"condition in space" which would cause a particle to move if aparticle was present!
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