Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2014/paper-1/e15/a/solution
Past exam of the physics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2014 Paper 1 E15 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
A field assigns a physical quantity to each point. Gravitational field is force per unit test mass; electric field is force per unit test charge. In a conservative, time-independent field,Write for gravitational potential , or for electric potential , giving and . A point mass has with zero at infinity, while two point charges have . Only potential-energy differences matter; a constant can be added freely. The mechanical energy is conserved if no nonconservative forces do work. A magnetic Lorentz force does no work on a point charge and generally cannot be represented by a position-only scalar potential energy.
New to topics? Read the docs here!