Re: The sign of work Electric

[Ludwik Kowalski <KowalskiL@MAIL.MONTCLAIR.EDU>]

Yes, uphill is defined as the direction opposite to that of E.
Thanks for reminding me about the gravitational analogy.
Here too some students think that the sign in front of m*g*h
depends on the orientation of the y axis.

SSHS KPHOX wrote:

> PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu writes:
> > The "uphill" is locally
> > defined by the direction of E; it has nothing to do with
> > the orientation of the x,y,z axes (with respect to local E).
> > There is no ambiguity here, as long as we agree that the
> > probe charge is positive. Right?
> > Ludwik Kowalski
>
> I think "downhill" ( lower V) is in the direction of E, just like with g.
> So I have no problem with dV = -E *ds  (* dot product)
>
> Ken Fox
> AP/IB Physics Teacher
> Smoky Hill High School
> Aurora, CO