Which statement about electrical potential energy in an electric field is true?

Which statement about electrical potential energy in an electric field is true?

• A. It remains constant regardless of position
• B. It depends on position and field strength
• C. It is always equal to kinetic energy
• D. It has no relation to charge

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that electrical potential energy for a charge in a field changes with where you place the charge and with how strong the field is at that location. For a specific charge q, the potential energy is U = qV(r), so it depends on the position r (through the potential V) and on the field's influence at that point. A stronger field or a point closer to the source charges changes V more rapidly, making the potential energy change more quickly as you move. This is why potential energy isn’t constant and is related to both position and the local field. As you move a charge, work is exchanged between potential and kinetic energy, but potential energy is not necessarily equal to kinetic energy at any moment. Also, potential energy scales with the amount of charge involved, so it is indeed related to the charge.

The main idea is that electrical potential energy for a charge in a field changes with where you place the charge and with how strong the field is at that location. For a specific charge q, the potential energy is U = qV(r), so it depends on the position r (through the potential V) and on the field's influence at that point. A stronger field or a point closer to the source charges changes V more rapidly, making the potential energy change more quickly as you move. This is why potential energy isn’t constant and is related to both position and the local field.

As you move a charge, work is exchanged between potential and kinetic energy, but potential energy is not necessarily equal to kinetic energy at any moment. Also, potential energy scales with the amount of charge involved, so it is indeed related to the charge.