Electric Potential Energy

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Electric Potential Energy
When we harness electricity to power our circuits, gizmos, and gadgets, we’re really transforming energy. Electronic circuits must be able to store energy and transfer it to other forms like heat, light, or motion. The stored energy of a circuit is called electric potential energy.
Just like mass in a gravitational field has gravitational potential energy, charges in an electric field have an electric potential energy. A charge’s electric potential energy describes how much stored energy it has, when set into motion by an electrostatic force, that energy can become kinetic, and the charge can do work.
Electrical energy is made of moving electrons
An electric field is the region around a charged particle or object within which a force would be exerted on other charged particles or objects.

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A charge's electric potential energy describes how much kinetic energy it has.

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Electric energy is made of moving _______________.

View the simulator below and answer the questions as you work with it.

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Unclick "show forces" and "show electric field", bring a positive particle and another positive particle together, what happens to the "potential energy scale" on the right?

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Now, change one of the particles to "negative", what does the scale show?

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Check the "show forces" box and move a positive particle away and then towards the negative particle, when does the force (arrow) increase?

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Change both particles into negative, describe the amount of force when you bring them close.

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What happens to the potential energy bar when you bring 2 like charges together?

View and interact with the Phet simulator and answer the following questions.

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On the simulator charge the balloon by wiping it on the sweater several times. What type of particles move to the balloon from the sweater?

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Now, bring the charged balloon near the wall, what happens to the electric field in the wall?

Watch the "What Causes Lightning " video and answer the questions.

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When is the electric potential energy the greatest?

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A charge's electric potential energy describes how much kinetic energy it has.

Electric energy is made of moving _______________.

Unclick "show forces" and "show electric field", bring a positive particle and another positive particle together, what happens to the "potential energy scale" on the right?

Now, change one of the particles to "negative", what does the scale show?

Check the "show forces" box and move a positive particle away and then towards the negative particle, when does the force (arrow) increase?

Change both particles into negative, describe the amount of force when you bring them close.

What happens to the potential energy bar when you bring 2 like charges together?

On the simulator charge the balloon by wiping it on the sweater several times. What type of particles move to the balloon from the sweater?

Now, bring the charged balloon near the wall, what happens to the electric field in the wall?

When is the electric potential energy the greatest?

When does the electric potential energy turn into kinetic energy?