Indiana Science HS-PSII-4.6

ScienceGrades 9–12Physical Science

The Standard

Distinguish between electric potential energy and electric potential (i.e., voltage).

Indiana Academic Standards for Science (2023) · Electricity

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify electric potential energy as energy a charge has at a location in an electric field. They identify electric potential as energy per coulomb and voltage as the difference between two potentials. They calculate energy change with ΔU = qΔV.
What Mastery Looks Like: For a 3 V increase, a student calculates that a 1 C positive charge gains 3 J, while a 2 C positive charge gains 6 J. They explain why the voltage is the same for both charges.
Common Misconceptions: Students may call voltage the total energy a charge has. They may think doubling the charge doubles the voltage, rather than doubling its energy change across the same voltage.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Two positive charges, 1 C and 2 C, each move to a point 3 V above their starting point. Find each energy change and explain what stays the same.

Lesson moves

Measure one AA battery and two in series with a multimeter, then calculate the energy each setup supplies to 1 C of charge.
Ask students to explain in writing why moving twice as much charge across the same battery does not double its voltage.
Give pairs of charge and voltage cards; have students match each pair to its energy change using ΔU = qΔV.
Read the 5 V and 9 V settings on a phone charger label, then calculate the energy supplied per coulomb at each setting.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to HS-PSII-4.6, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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