Difference Between Electric Potential and Potential Difference Last Updated : 04 Mar, 2024 Comments Improve Suggest changes Like Article Like Report The flow of electric charges is known as electricity, and it is responsible for producing electric current. An important word associated with electricity is electric potential. A potential difference is required to create the flow of electrons and hence, produce electricity. Before understanding the difference between electric potential and potential difference, let's first understand the electric potential and potential difference in detail. Electric PotentialElectric potential is the work done per unit charge in order to bring that charge from infinity to a point in the electrostatic field against the field force. Electric Potential is also referred to as Voltage drop. The SI unit for Electric Potential or Electric Potential difference is Voltage or Volts. Electric potential is a scalar quantity. In the above figure, +Q is the charge creating an electric field, and the task is to bring a unit charge (+q) from infinity (anywhere outside the electric field) to a point inside the electric field against the field. Since the electrostatic force produced by the electric field will be against the unit charge, some work is required by the unit charge in order to move from either infinity to somewhere in the field or from one point to another in the field. If the work is done to move the charge from infinity to point X, it will be called an Electric potential at X (Vx).If the work is done to move the charge from infinity to point Y, It will be called an Electric potential at Y (Vy).If the work is done to move the charge from X to Y, it will be called the potential difference between x and y (Vxy).Electric Potential FormulaElectric Potential/Voltage = Work Done/Unit Charge SI unit for Electric PotentialV = W/q = Joules/Coulomb = Volts Therefore, the SI unit for Electric Potential is Volts or Voltage. 1 Volt = 1 Joule/1 Coulomb1 Volt can be defined as 1 joule of work done in order to move 1 coulomb of charge Electric Potential DifferenceElectric potential difference is also known as voltage. The electric potential difference is the work done per unit charge to move a unit charge from one point to another in an electric field. Electric potential difference is usually referred to as a Voltage difference. Imagine a ball sitting at some height, will there be some energy in the ball? Yes, the energy is called Potential energy, and if the ball is dropped from a point A to B height, the ball will always fall from higher gravitational potential to lower, then there will be a difference in both energies. The electrical potential difference is analogical to this concept. The energy possessed by Electric charges is known as electrical energy. A charge with higher potential will have more potential energy, and a charge with lesser potential will have less potential energy. The current always moves from higher potential to lower potential. The difference in these energies per unit charge is known as the electric potential difference. In order to create electricity and the flow of current, a potential difference is always required, which is maintained by a battery or a cell. The longer side represents the Higher potential (+ve terminal), and the shorter side represents the Lower potential (-ve terminal). The Electric potential difference is measured by a Voltmeter which is applied parallel to the Instrument whose Voltage is to be measured. Electric Potential Difference FormulaVxy= Vx - Vy = [Wx - Wy]/q SI Unit of Electrical Potential DifferenceThe SI Unit of Electrical potential difference is the same as the electric potential, i.e, Voltage or Volts. Note: Why a unit charge is taken to explain the concept of Electric Potential? A small unit charge will have very small electric field which will neither affect not distort the field produced by the bigger charge and hence, the concept can be explained easily. Difference Between Electric Potential and Electric Potential DifferenceElectric Potential Potential Difference Electric potential is the work done per unit charge to bring the charge from infinity to a point in an electric field.Potential difference is the difference between the potentials between two points in the electric field.Electric potential is defined at a point.Potential difference is defined between two points in electric field.The unit of electric potential is volts.The unit of potential difference is volts.Electric potential is a scalar quantity.Potential difference is also a scalar quantity.Electric Potential is taken as zero at infinity.There is no as such concept for potential difference.Used to understand the distribution of electric potential energy in a field and how charges will move in response. Describes the energy per unit charge available to a charge as it moves through an electric field. It is mathematically expressed as V = U/q, where V is electric potential, U is electric potential energy, and q is the test charge. Mathematically expressed as ΔV = W/q, where ΔV is potential difference, W is the work done, and q is the charge. The electric potential at a point is independent of the path taken by the charge to reach that point. The potential difference between two points is also independent of the path taken by the charge between those points. Ohm's LawAccording to Ohm's Law, The current flowing through a conductor is directly proportional to the voltage, provided the conductivity and temperature remain constant. While removing the proportionality, a new constant is introduced known as the Resistance. V ∝ I V = IR Where, V = Voltage across the conductorI = Current flowing in the wireR = Resistance offered by the conductor in ohmsSolved Examples on Difference Between Electric Potential and Potential DifferenceQuestion 1: A charge of 10mC is moved from infinity to point A in the Electric field. The work done in this process is 20 Joules. What is the Potential difference? Solution: V= W/q W= 20 joules q= 10mC V= 20/10×10-3= 2kV Therefore, the potential developed is 2000volts. Question 2: A Charge of 50mC is moved from one point to another (from A to B). The voltage at A is 50kV, and the Voltage at B is 30kV, Find the Work done by the charge. Solution: VAB = VA- VB = 50kV - 30kV = 20kV Work done = V× q = 20kV × 50mC = 100 Joules Question 3: What are the SI units of these following quantities: Energy, Potential Difference, Charge, Resistance Answer: The SI Units of the above-mentioned quantities: Energy⇢ Joules Potential Difference⇢ Voltage Charge⇢ Coulomb Resistance⇢ Ohms Question 4: Find the current through the circuit when the voltage across the terminal is 30V and the resistance offered by the conductor is 10ohm. Solution: According to ohms Law, V= IR 30V = I × 10ohm I= 3 Amperes Therefore, the current through the circuit is 3 amperes. Comment More infoAdvertise with us Next Article Difference Between Electric Potential and Potential Difference A anjalishukla1859 Follow Improve Article Tags : Difference Between School Learning Class 10 Physics Physics-Class-10 +1 More Similar Reads CBSE Notes for Class 10 Science CBSE Class 10 Science Notes 2023-2024 are developed by experts from the latest class 10 science textbooks. 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