Does Zero Electric Potential Necessarily Mean Zero Electric Field?

[pinkerpikachu]

1. If V= 0 at a point in space, must E=0 there? If E=0 at some point must V=0 at that point? And examples for each?


I'm pretty confused on both parts. I haven't really been understanding much of this electric charge/electric field stuff.

I know, just from an equation at V= -Ed, but I don't quite understand this conceptually.

 

[rl.bhat]

When the electric field is not uniform, the electric potential at any point is given be
E = - dV/dx i.e. negative tare of change of potential.
If V is zero E must be zero. If E = 0, V may be zero or a constant.

 

[nlightner]

It is understandable to have difficulty understanding concepts related to electric charge and electric fields. Let me try to clarify the relationship between electric potential (V) and electric field (E) for you.

Firstly, it is important to understand that electric potential is a scalar quantity, meaning it has only magnitude but no direction. On the other hand, electric field is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.

Now, to answer your first question, if V=0 at a point in space, it does not necessarily mean that E=0 at that point. This is because electric potential is a measure of the potential energy per unit charge at a given point, while electric field is a measure of the force per unit charge at that point. So, even if there is no potential difference (V=0), there could still be an electric field present (E≠0) if there are charges nearby that are exerting a force.

As for your second question, if E=0 at a point, then V=0 at that point. This is because if there is no electric field present, there can be no potential difference between that point and any other point in space. An example of this would be a point in between two equally charged parallel plates, where the electric field is zero and so is the potential difference.

I hope this helps clarify the relationship between electric potential and electric field for you. It is important to keep in mind that these concepts can be tricky to understand, but with practice and further study, you will be able to grasp them better.