Ohio Assessment for Educators (OAE) Integrated Science (024) Practice Exam

The electric potential energy of an object in an electric field is determined by its position relative to the source of the electric potential. When an object is moved further away from a source of electric potential, the electric potential at that point decreases. Since electric potential energy is directly related to electric potential and the charge of the object, as the object moves away, the electric potential energy decreases as well.

This decrease occurs because the electric potential energy can be described by the equation \( U = qV \), where \( U \) is the electric potential energy, \( q \) is the charge of the object, and \( V \) is the electric potential. Moving the object farther from the potential source results in a lower value of \( V \), which in turn leads to a reduction in \( U \). The change in distance carries the concept that work is done against the electric field when moving the object away, which contributes to the decrease in energy associated with that position in the field.

Understanding this relationship is key in electrostatics and helps to explain various phenomena in both theoretical and practical applications of electric fields and forces.