Indiana Science HS-PSII-4.7
The Standard
Apply conservation of energy to determine changes in the electric potential energy, translational kinetic energy, and speed of a single charged object (i.e., a point particle) placed in a uniform electric field.
Indiana Academic Standards for Science (2023) · Electricity
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students track one charged particle moving through a uniform electric field. They use its charge and the voltage difference to find energy changes, then use its mass and starting speed to find its final speed.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can calculate the change in electric potential energy and show that kinetic energy changes by the opposite amount. They can use the new kinetic energy to find speed and explain how the charge's sign affects the result.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often assume a negative charge speeds up in the field's direction. They may confuse voltage with electric potential energy, or add an energy change directly to speed instead of calculating kinetic energy first.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A +2 μC particle of mass 1 g starts from rest at a 10 V plate and moves to a 0 V plate. Find its changes in electric potential energy and kinetic energy, then its final speed.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Tape two parallel plates on a desk, label them 0 V and 10 V, and slide signed charge cards between them while recording energy changes.
Ask why a negative charge moving toward a higher-voltage plate can gain speed while its electric potential energy falls.
Run a two-round card race: +2 μC or -2 μC, 1 g, 0.3 m/s start, 10 V drop; calculate final speed.
Show a cathode-ray tube diagram with plates at 0 V and 100 V; supply electron charge and mass, then calculate its speed from rest.
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Printable HS-PSII-4.7 Worksheet
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