A charged particle moves from a point of higher electric potential to a point of lower electric potential. What happens to its kinetic energy?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
A charged particle moves from a point of higher electric potential to a point of lower electric potential. What happens to its kinetic energy?
Increases
Decreases
Remains constant
Cannot be determined
As the charged particle moves to a lower potential, it loses potential energy, which is converted into kinetic energy, thus increasing its kinetic energy.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: A charged particle moves from a point of higher electric potential to a point of lower electric potential. What happens to its kinetic energy?
Solution: As the charged particle moves to a lower potential, it loses potential energy, which is converted into kinetic energy, thus increasing its kinetic energy.
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand that electric potential is like a height for charged particles. Higher potential means more stored energy.
Step 2: When a charged particle moves from a higher electric potential to a lower electric potential, it is like going downhill.
Step 3: As the particle goes downhill, it loses some of its stored energy (potential energy).
Step 4: The lost potential energy doesn't just disappear; it gets converted into kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion.
Step 5: Therefore, as the particle moves to a lower potential, its kinetic energy increases.
