Question

what is the difference in electrical potential energy between two places in an electric field?

Answer 1

Ok Let's look at two points in an electric circuit. At one point the electric potential is 3 volts. At the other point the electric potential (or voltage) is 2 volts.

The electric potential energy at the 3-volt point is the amount of energy that electric charges would lose if it went from that point to ground (which is zero volts).

Which would be one-and-a-half times more than the energy lost if the same amount of electric charges went from the 2-volt point to the ground.

An analogy: Imagine a ball at 3 metres above the ground. This corresponds to the electric potential of 3 volts. Another ball (of the same mass) is 2 metres above the ground. The ball at 3 metres high has more potential energy than the one at the 2 metre height -- exactly 1.5 times more.

Electric potential is measured in volts.

Electric potential energy is measured in joules.