The electric potential at a certain location from a point charge can be represented by V. What is the value of the electric potential at the same location if the strength of the charge is tripled? The electric potential at a certain location from a point charge can be represented by V. What is the value of the electric potential at the same location if the strength of the charge is tripled? If you triple the value of the charge, the electric potential is V/9. If you triple the value of the charge, the electric potential is 9V. If you triple the value of the charge, the electric potential is V/3. If you triple the value of the charge, the electric potential is 3V. If you triple the value of the charge, the electric potential remains V. SubmitRequest Answer Provide Feedback Next
Answer: If the value of the charge is tripled, the electric potential is 3 V.
Explanation:
The electric potential, measures the work per unit charge, needed to bring a positive test charge from infinity (which defines V=0, as it is assumed that no work is needed in order to bring the test charge to this point) closer to a given charge distribution.
For a point charge, the force lines are radial outward the charge, so, if we move along a force line, we can write the following expression for the electric potential for the charge, at a distance r from it, remembering that we are talking about work (Force times displacement in this case), per unit charge, as follows:
V = (F/q). r = (1/4πε₀) Q/r.
As we can see, the potential increases linearly with the value of charge, so if Q triples, V will triple also.
