Question

Why Potential Inside the Conductor is Constant?

Answer 1

Step 1: Conductor

1. A conductor is a material used for the flow of current through it because a conductor has a large number of free electrons in it.
2. Electrons travel on the surface of the conductor in order to avoid the repulsion between the electron.

Step 2: Formula used

The formula used in the solution is given as:

$E=-dV/dr$

Where E = Electric field, V = Electric potential and r = Distance between two points

Step 3: Solution

1. A conductor has free electrons on its surface and as there is electric field inside or on the surface of the conductor electrons experience force.
2. But when there is no electric field, free electrons distribute themselves so that the electric field is zero everywhere inside the conductor.
3. Since the electric field is zero inside the conductor so no work is done against the electric field to bring the charged particle from one point to another point. $E=-dV/dr=0$, Since $E=0$ so potential inside the conductor is constant.
4. No work is done in moving a charge from one point to another inside a conductor so the potential is constant inside the conductor when $E=0$.

Hence, the potential inside a conductor is constant when the electric field is zero.