Quarter 3, Blogpost #3

I'm sure this same picture is going to be used a lot, but i really liked how Mr. Blake used a battery demo to teach us the difference between electric potential and electric potential energy. At first, this concept was a little confusing because both contain the same name, but are not actually the same at all. Electric potential energy is measured in joules just like any other form of energy. To calculate electric potential energy, the same equation for finding potential energy is used: work = average force x distance. This is electric potential energy. Electric potential is something entirely different. Electric potential is measured in volts or joules per quantity of charge. In order to find electric potential, the following equation is used:

electric potential = work in joules/unit of charge moved in coulombs

Electric potential is also known as "voltage". So by the looks of the two definitions, electric potential energy is used to find electric potential. In class, Mr. Blake used a battery demo to explain voltage to the class. He said that although the voltage of an object is high, the shock we feel is dependent on how charged the object is. For example, if an object has a voltage of 100,000 volts, the shock is dependent on whether or not the object has a high or low charge.