What is Potential: Definition and 1000 Discussions

Potential generally refers to a currently unrealized ability. The term is used in a wide variety of fields, from physics to the social sciences to indicate things that are in a state where they are able to change in ways ranging from the simple release of energy by objects to the realization of abilities in people. The philosopher Aristotle incorporated this concept into his theory of potentiality and actuality, a pair of closely connected principles which he used to analyze motion, causality, ethics, and physiology in his aPhysics, Metaphysics, Nicomachean Ethics and De Anima, which is about the human psyche. That which is potential can theoretically be made actual by taking the right action; for example, a boulder on the edge of a cliff has potential to fall that could be actualized by pushing it over the edge. Several languages have a potential mood, a grammatical construction that indicates that something is potential. These include Finnish, Japanese, and Sanskrit.In physics, a potential may refer to the scalar potential or to the vector potential. In either case, it is a field defined in space, from which many important physical properties may be derived. Leading examples are the gravitational potential and the electric potential, from which the motion of gravitating or electrically charged bodies may be obtained. Specific forces have associated potentials, including the Coulomb potential, the van der Waals potential, the Lennard-Jones potential and the Yukawa potential. In electrochemistry there are Galvani potential, Volta potential, electrode potential, and standard electrode potential. In the
thermodynamics, the term potential often refers to thermodynamic potential.

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  1. T

    Getting electric potential from charge density over whole sp

    Homework Statement Let’s say I have got a charge density $\rho (x,y,z) = \cfrac{C}{x^2}$ with C a specific constant. I want to know the potential on every point in space. How can I get an expression of the electric potential in terms of position? Homework Equations Gauss law/coulomb's law...
  2. CDL

    I Probabilities Associated with Sudden Changes in Potential

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  3. P

    Potential difference across a resistor

    Homework Statement Two cells of same emf E and different internal resistance r1 and r2 are connected in series to an external resistance R.The value of R for which the potential difference across the first cell is zero is given by (A) R=r1/r2 (B)R=r1+r2 (C)R=r1-r2 (D)R=r1r2 Homework Equations...
  4. B

    Analogy for Electrical potential

    When the eletctric field was defined I could totally relate to E is like g in mechanics. But for the electric potential I don't know. What would be equivalent analogy?
  5. ChrisVer

    A Is the Higgs Field Potential Still Symmetric Post-Electroweak Symmetry Breaking?

    Hi, a fast question... I was having somekind of a discussion, and I actually hit a dead end to the way I could explain my statement. I believe that after the Higgs Mechanism and SSB, the resulting potential of the Higgs Field should no longer be symmetric to rotations : I am saying this because...
  6. Murphy.T

    Potential Energy of an Electron near a negative source charge

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  7. V

    Vector potential of a plate with a uniform, time-harmonic current density

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  8. MathematicalPhysicist

    I A minus sign in the gravitational potential

    So we have the Newtonian gravitation potential given by ##\phi_M(r)=-GM/r##, and in class the teacher said that the Newtonian force is given by ##F_m = -m\nabla \phi_M(r)##. Now, I was thinking about what was taught in UG or high school, isn't the force should be ##F_m = GmM/r^2##, if I plug...
  9. F

    The value of potential difference between two points

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  10. W

    Understanding Electric Potential and Field in a Ring of Charge

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  11. F

    The electrostatic potential energy of two spheres

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  12. Sunanda

    Electric Potential due to a single point charge

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  13. A

    B Mass-Energy Equivalence: Matter as Potential Energy?

    I think mass as a form of potential energy and am always told that this is wrong. According to wiki: "In physics, potential energy is the energy possessed by an object because of its position relative to other objects, stresses within itself, its electric charge, or other factors." Why do this...
  14. F

    Find the electric potential energy

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  15. K

    Is the Setup for the Electric Scaler Potential Integral Correct?

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  16. F

    Find the potential difference between A and B

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  17. J

    Deriving gravitational potential energy -- mistake

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  18. Warda Anis

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  19. T

    Potential Difference Problem - setting up the integral

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  20. J

    Potential difference between two points in a loop

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  21. Phantoful

    Bead on a string, find y(x) if horizontal velocity is const.

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  22. Z

    Fluid Dynamics -- Use the Milne-Thomson circle theorem to show the complex potential for a fluid....

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  23. tomalku

    Equation of scaler potential problem

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  24. J

    I How does the Higgs scalar potential evolve with temperature?

    How does the Higgs scalar potential evolve with temperature? Is there possibility they are independent? Besides temperature. What else can theoretically affect the higgs scalar potential?
  25. D

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  26. Const@ntine

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  27. Tomi Kolawole

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  28. G

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  29. C

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  30. C

    What is the electric potential at points A and B?

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  31. Gene Naden

    Potential near the center of a charged hollow sphere

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  32. fluidistic

    I Mean speed of electrons in a periodic potential / lattice

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  33. J

    Split Kinetic and Potential Term in Action in Independt. Var

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  34. Phi6er

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  35. Wes Turner

    Change in electric potential energy

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  36. Spinnor

    I Vector potential A_mu from scalar function theta(x_mu)?

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  37. TheBigDig

    Time-dependent potential difference between two ends of a loop

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  38. Physics345

    Electric Potential Difference

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  39. T

    Charged capacitors connected together, find the final potential difference

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  40. F

    Electric potential and voltage in a circuit

    As I understand it, electrical potential is the potential energy of a unit charge in some point in space. How does this idea relate to the idea of voltage in a circuit? The term electric potential seems to be used for both.
  41. T

    Confirming my logic on potential difference

    Homework Statement You’ve decided to protect your house by placing a 5.0 m tall iron lightning rod next to the house. The top is sharpened to a point and the bottom is in good contact with the ground. From your research, you’ve learned that lightning bolts can carry up to 50 kA of current and...
  42. K

    What does a negative potential energy mean?

    A consequence of Coulomb's law is that oppositely charged particles have a negative potential energy. I'm having trouble undsrstanding how anything can have a negative potential energy and what consequences that has. Does it just mean the change in potential energy is negative or is it a matter...
  43. Sultan Abdullah

    Does the Earth have potential energy?

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  44. J

    Potential difference and charge across a capacitor

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  45. J

    Time period from potential energy expression

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  46. S

    Energy Gap of 2 states in a deep rectangular potential well.

    What is the energy gap between the ground state (n=0) and the first excited state (n=1) of an electron trapped in a deep rectangular potential well of width 1Å?
  47. J

    Medical Diagnostic procedure turned into potential treatment

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  48. BWV

    Is blockchain's potential overhyped?

    Not talking about crypto-currencies, but the technology itself. the standard argument one hears is something like 'bitcoin may be a scam, but blockchain represents a revolutionary breakthrough that will change the world' Asking about the technology itself, will it really become the backbone...
  49. F

    Potential of hollow open ended cylinder

    Homework Statement A hollow circular cylinder, of radius a and length b, with open ends, has a total charge Q uniformly distributed over its surface. What is the difference in potential between a point on the axis at one end and the midpoint of the axis? Show by sketching some field lines how...
  50. F

    Potential of charged cylinder

    Homework Statement For the cylinder of uniform charge density in Fig. 2.26: (a) show that the expression there given for the field inside the cylinder follows from Gauss’s law; (b) find the potential φ as a function of r, both inside and outside the cylinder, taking φ = 0 at r = 0. 2...
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