PHYC 1300Y/1320:

Physics in and around you

Chapter 21
The Electric Potential

Chapter 21 PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 1

PHYC 1300Y/1320 Chapter 21 Slide 2
The Electrocardiogram Key Concepts
• The electrical activity of cardiac muscle cells makes the beating
heart an electric dipole.

• A resting nerve cell is polarized; the outside is positive and the

inside negative.

• Initially, all muscle cells in the heart are polarized, until an

electrical impulse from the heart triggers the cells to depolarize,
moving ions through the cell wall until the outside becomes
negative.

• This causes the muscle to contract.

• The depolarization of one cell triggers a “wave” of

depolarization to spread across the tissues of the heart.
PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 3
The Electrocardiogram Key Concepts
• The electrical activity of cardiac muscle cells makes the beating
heart an electric dipole.

• A resting nerve cell is polarized; the outside is positive and the

inside negative.

• Initially, all muscle cells in the heart are polarized, until an

electrical impulse from the heart triggers the cells to depolarize,
moving ions through the cell wall until the outside becomes
negative.

• This causes the muscle to contract.

• The depolarization of one cell triggers a “wave” of

depolarization to spread across the tissues of the heart.
PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 4
The Electrocardiogram Key Concepts

• A measurement of the
electric potential of the
heart is an invaluable
diagnostic tool.
• The potential difference in
a patient is measured
between several pairs of
electrodes.
• A chart of the potential
differences is the
electrocardiogram, also
called an ECG or an EKG.
PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 5
The Electrocardiogram Key Concepts
e d
Time a. r i z
ol a
ep ed
D ri z
o la
P

PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 6

The Electrocardiogram Key Concepts
Time b. ed
ri z
la
epo d
D z e
l a ri
Po

PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 7

The Electrocardiogram Key Concepts
Time c.

d
ize
lar

ed
po

riz
De

la
Po

PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 8

The Electrocardiogram Key Concepts

(Wiki Commons)
PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 9
The Electric Potential Key Concepts
Relating Electric Potential to Electric Field
1. The electric field at a point is perpendicular to the equipotential
surface.
2. The electric field points in the direction of decreasing potential.
3. The electric field magnitude is larger when distance between
equipotential surfaces is smaller. ∆𝑉
𝐸=
𝑑

PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 10

The Electric Potential Key Concepts
Conservation of Energy:
• The energy of a closed system is always conserved
• Energy can be neither created nor destroyed
• Energy is transferred between states:
• Electric Potential
• Kinetic
• Thermal (not considered here)
• Pressure (not considered here)
• Gravitational Potential (usually not considered here)

𝐾!"#$% + 𝑈&%&' !"#$% = 𝐾"#"("$% + 𝑈&%&' "#"("$%

∆𝐾 = −𝑞∆𝑉
PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 11
The Electric Potential Example 4
A point charge Q = +87.1 μC is held fixed at the origin. A second
point charge, with mass m=0.0576 kg, and charge q = -2.87 μC is
placed at the location (323 mm, 0).

If q is released from rest at this point, what is its speed when it

reaches the point (121 mm, 0)?

Problem Solving Strategy (Conservation of Energy):

1. Draw a before and after diagram
• Show the electric potential over space
2. Indicate knowns
3. Solve for the unknown in the conservation of energy
equation

PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 12

The Electric Potential Key Concepts
Electric Potential of a Parallel-Plate Capacitor

Potential Difference (Voltage):

• The plates reach equilibrium charge when attached to a battery
• Simple circuit: battery voltage = voltage across capacitor, ∆VC
• Electric field and potential
can then be expressed in
terms of the capacitor
voltage

∆𝑉)
𝐸=
𝑑
𝑥
V = ∆𝑉)
𝑑

PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 13

The Electric Potential Key Concepts
Electric Potential of a Parallel-Plate Capacitor

Relating Electric Field, Electric Potential and Voltage:

𝑄 𝑥
𝑉 = 𝐸𝑥 𝑉= 𝑥 𝑉 = ∆𝑉)
𝜖*𝐴 𝑑

𝑄 ∆𝑉)
𝐸= 𝐸=
𝜖*𝐴 𝑑

PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 14

The Electric Potential Key Concepts
Capacitance:
• The amount of charge/energy that a capacitor can hold for a
given voltage 𝑄 = 𝐶 2 ∆𝑉) 1 𝑄+ 1
𝑈) = = 𝑄 ∆𝑉) +
2 𝐶 2
• For a parallel-plate capacitor:
𝜖*𝐴
𝐶=
𝑑
• Amount of charge that can be held is increased by placing an
insulator (“dielectric”) between the plates
• Capacitance is increased by a dielectric as follows:
𝐶 = 𝜅𝐶*
• Where 𝛋 is the dielectric constant of the material

PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 15

The Electric Potential Key Concepts
The induced charge polarization on the dielectric will
create a uniform electric field that is directed opposite
to the applied electric field.

This reduces the potential, allowing the plates to hold

more charge (i.e., more energy).

∆𝑉)
𝐸=
𝑑
PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 16
The Electric Potential Key Concepts

∆𝑉)
𝐶 = 𝜅𝐶* 𝐸=
𝑑
PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 17
The Electric Potential Example 6
A defibrillator unit contains a 150 µF capacitor that is charged to 2000
V. The capacitor plates are separated by a 0.010-mm-thick dielectric
with κ = 300.

a. What is the total area of the capacitor plates?

b. What is the strength of the electric field between the plates when
the capacitor is charged?

c. The energy is released by the defibrillator in 2.0 ms. What is the

power of the defibrillator?

𝜖*𝐴 ∆𝑉) 1 𝑄+ 1 +
𝐶* = 𝐸= 𝑈) = = 𝑄 ∆𝑉)
𝑑 𝑑 2 𝐶 2
PHYC 1300Y/1320 Slide 18
PHYC 1300Y/1320 Chapter 21 Slide 19