Answer to Question #75242 in Electricity and Magnetism for dev

Question

The electric potential near an isolated positive charge is a) positive or b) negative

Answer 1

In general, there is a freedom in defining the electric potential: any constant can be added to the potential . Practically, this means that you can set the zero of potential at any point which is convenient.
But it is usually agreed on the potential near of an isolated positive (negative) charge to be positive(negative).
Answer: a) positive