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. A

    I Static potential accelerator question

    From what I know accelerators that use cavities like LHC for example pass the protons multiple times around in order for the cavities to accelerate them at each pass to a higher energy, since they can't accelerate the protons to an energy high enough with just one pass. So the protons pass...
  2. Andrei0408

    Gravitational Potential Energy

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  3. Andrei0408

    Expression of the force derived from this potential

    I just don't know what equations I should use, or what exactly I need to do. I just need some guidelines, thank you!
  4. L

    Separation of Variables: Find the potential b/w concentric hemispheres

    I'm having troubles setting up this problem. I know we are to use boundary conditions to determine An and Bn since in this case (a<r<b) neither can be set to 0. I don't know how the given potentials translate into boundary conditions, especially the V3 disk.
  5. Tony Hau

    Problems on magnetic vector potential

    The direction of the magnetic potential, ##\vec A##, must be in the direction of the current, which is in ##\hat z## direction in cylindrical coordinates. It is obvious that the potential only varies with ##s##. Therefore, $$\vec A = A(s) \hat z$$ Therefore, $$\nabla \times \vec A = \vec B$$...
  6. il postino

    Chemistry Calculate the potential at the equivalence point

    Data ##E^{0}_{I_2/I-}= 536mV## ##E^{0}_{Cr_2O_7^{2-}/Cr^{3+}}= 1330mV## ##I_{2} + 2e- \Leftrightarrow 2I^{-}## ##Cr_2O_7^{2-} + 14H^+ + 6e^- \Leftrightarrow 2Cr^{3+} + 7H_2O## Total Reaction ##6I^{-} + Cr_2O_7^{2-} + 14H^+ \Leftrightarrow 3I_{2} + 2Cr^{3+} + 7H_2O##...
  7. A

    33KV potential transformer design

    I am in a team of designing a 33KV potential transformer. We done secondary turn as 75 and primary turns as 15000 with core cross sectional area of 5000 sq.mm. As per IS standard we need to maintain a accuracy class of 0.2 at 50VA burden but we can't able to achieve it. Someone please help us to...
  8. greg_rack

    Final electric potential difference in a circuit with two capacitors

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  9. P

    Electrostatic - electric potential due to a point charge

    Could somebody check my solution? I want to know is it correct.
  10. greg_rack

    Electric potential difference at the ends of a resistor

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  11. greg_rack

    Clarifications about electric potential and potential difference

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  12. rude man

    Introduction to Electric Vector Potential and Its Applications

    Continue reading...
  13. gonadas91

    A Random potential disorder average

    Hi, I have a basic question concerning disorder average in random potentials. Suppose we have a hamiltonian (in second quantised notation) in the form: $$H=H_{0}+\int d\vec{r}\psi^{\dagger}(\vec{r})V(\vec{r})\psi(\vec{r})$$ with ##V(\vec{r})## some random potential satisfying ##\langle...
  14. V

    I Infinite series calculation of a potential

    I'm trying to get from the formula in the top to the formula in the bottom (See image: Series). My approach was to complexify the sine term and then use the fact that (see image: Series 1) for the infinite sum of 1/ne^-n. Then use the identity (see image: Series 2). Any other ideas?
  15. M

    Physics C: Mechanics - Negative Energy and Potential Energy Curves

    I'm currently taking a course where we are working to teach older physics concepts and combine them with calculus. I was assigned to work on teaching a unit about energy; for the most part, it stays relatively consistent and can be solved algebraically. Another topic in this unit is Potential...
  16. AHSAN MUJTABA

    Electrostatics potential calculation for a uniformly charged square

    I took a surface element dA at the surface of square at point x',y' now I took a point on x-axis and calculated the flux. But I got a very complicated integral though it should be simple and I can't interpret it
  17. Adams2020

    Mass difference due to electrical potential energy

    I do not really know the relationship between potential energy and mass difference. Isn't the difference in mass of protons and neutrons due to their quarks? (the neutron is made of two down quarks and an up quark and the proton of two up quarks and a down quark.) Please help.
  18. Mayan Fung

    Perturbation from a quantum harmonic oscillator potential

    For the off-diagonal term, it is obvious that (p^2+q^2) returns 0 in the integration (##<m|p^2+q^2|n> = E<m|n> = 0##). However, (pq+qp) seems to give a complicated expression because of the complicated wavefunctions of a quantum harmonic oscillator. I wonder whether there is a good method to...
  19. J

    Gravitational Potential & Gravitational Potential Energy

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  20. Athenian

    Finding the Monopole and Multipole Moments of the Electric Potential

    My first attempt revolved mostly around the solution method shown in this "site" or PowerPoint: http://physics.gmu.edu/~joe/PHYS685/Topic4.pdf . However, after studying the content and writing down my answer for the monopole moment as equal to ##\sqrt{\frac{1}{4 \pi}} \rho##, I found out the...
  21. robotman

    Potential Energy associated with a Variable Force

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  22. R

    Electromotive Force, Batteries, Resistors, and Potential Differences

    I have attached a small excerpt from my digital book where they start talking about emf. I am very confused. Let me explain what is confusing to me so that you can clear up what's bothering me. They start of by saying that an emf device pumps charges by maintaining a potential difference...
  23. hilbert2

    A Softened potential well / potential step

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  24. dRic2

    I Minimize grand potential functional for density matrix

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  25. M

    Soliton model of the action potential

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  26. M

    Potential Flow Theory: Circulation and the Kutta-Jukowski Theorem

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  27. M

    Potential Flow Theory: Circulation and the Kutta-Jukowski Theorem

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  28. Sj4600

    Electric Potential Energy Question: Electron and Proton accelerating between charged plates

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  29. A

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  30. AN630078

    Biology Water Potential and Osmosis Potatoes Investigation

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  31. agnimusayoti

    Potential inside a uniformly charged solid sphere

    Well, in this problem, I try to use $$d \tau '= \mu ^2 \sin {\theta} {d\mu} {d\theta} {d\phi}$$ With these domain integration: $$0<\mu<r$$ $$0<\theta<\pi$$ $$0<\phi<2\pi$$ , I get $$V=\frac{1}{4\pi \epsilon_0} \frac{3Qr^2}{2R^3}$$ This result is wrong because doesn't match with Prob 2.21, which...
  32. B

    Electric Potential inside an insulating sphere

    I used the potential at the surface of the sphere for my reference point for computing the potential at a point r < R in the sphere. The potential at the surface of the sphere is ## V(R) = k \frac {Q} {R} ##. To find the potential inside the sphere, I used the Electric field inside of an...
  33. E

    Meaning of small triangle in chemical potential

    It is given that the solution is ideal, i.e. that we can take ##\gamma_A = 1##. I wondered what that small triangle signifies in the second definition? Thanks!
  34. archaic

    Potential due to a rod with a nonuniform charge density

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  35. AN630078

    Potential Energy and raising a satellite from Earth into a Circular Orbit

    a. V=-GM/r V=-6.67*10^-11*6.0 x 10^24/6.4 x 10^6 V grav = -62531250 ~ -62.5M Jkg^-1 b. To find the gravitational potential 200 km above the surface of the Earth; r=6.4 x 10^6 +2*10^5 m=6.6*10^6 V grav=-6.67*10^-11*6.0 x 10^24/6.6*10^6 V grav= -60636363 ~ -60.6 M Jkg^-1 Can I check that it is...
  36. AN630078

    Difference in Gravitational Potential on the Moon

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  37. Leo Liu

    Definition of potential energy

    Potential energy is generally a function of position vector ##\vec r## and it is defined as ##\int_i^f \vec F(\vec r)d\vec r=-U(\vec r) \bigg| _{i}^{f}=U(\vec r_i)-U(\vec r_f)##, where the force is conservative. Using the fact that the integral of force is also the definition of work, I obtain...
  38. R

    Potential Energy of an Electric Dipole in a Uniform Field

    I have a lot of questions about this single concept. You don't have to answer the questions in the order that I ask, if it is convenient to answer them in a different order. 1. When the dipole moment ##\vec{p}## is in the same direction as the electric field (uniform) it has the least potential...
  39. V

    Find the potential using a line integral (Electromagnetism)

    Sorry - I wish I had some way of writing equations in this forum so the "relevant equations" section is easier to read. The answer to the first part is (a) so the rest follows from using the electric field given in B. If anyone is interested this question comes from Griffith's 3rd edition...
  40. B

    Finding the potential difference of a diode

    I've tried doing it but i haven't been able to find the resistance of the diode.
  41. plomeiko

    Question about gravitational potential energy and angular motion

    hello I would like some help with the first part of this homework. for the moment i have done this: E initial=m*g*h Efinal= 1/2 m*v ^ 2+1/2I*ω ^ 2 Ei=m*g*h+1/2I*ω ^ 2 Ef=1/2*m*v ^ 2 my doubt is with the potential energy since it confuses me when there is or not...
  42. Hamiltonian

    Work done by a conservative force using change in potential energy

    we know ##W_g = -\Delta U## but here to find ##\Delta U## we will need another equation won't it be wrong to write $$-\Delta U = -\int_1^{0.8}mgdy$$ as this equation is derived from ##W_g = -\Delta U## and as we have 2 unknowns we will need two equations. this is a rather easy problem but I am...
  43. snoopies622

    B Does E=mc^2 apply to gravitational potential energy?

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  44. Tony Hau

    The potential of a sphere with opposite hemisphere charge densities

    Here is what the solution says: As usual, quote the general potential formula: $$V(r,\theta)=\sum_{l=0}^{\infty}(A_lr^l+\frac{B_l}{r^{l+1}})P_l(cos\theta)$$ The potential outside the sphere is: $$V(r,{\theta})=\sum_{l=0}^{\infty}\frac{B_l}{r^{l+1}}P_l(cos\theta)$$, which makes sense to me...
  45. Riccardo Marinelli

    A Boundary conditions of eigenfunctions with Yukawa potential

    Hello, I was going to solve numerically the eigenfunctions and eigenvalues problem of the schrödinger equation with Yukawa Potential. I thought that the Boundary condition of the eigenfunctions could be the same as in the case of Coulomb potential. Am I wrong? In that case, do you know some...
  46. Riccardo Marinelli

    Initial condition of Wave functions with Yukawa Potential

    Hello, I was going to solve with a calculator the eigenvalues problem of the Schrödinger equation with Yukawa potential and I was thinking that the boundary conditions on the eigenfunctions could be the same as in the case of Coulomb potential because for r -> 0 the exponential term goes to 1...
  47. M

    I How can I prove the parity violation potential in a P,T-symmetric system?

    Hello! I read in several papers (e.g. this one) that if we have 2 levels of fixed, opposite parities, which are the eigenstates of a P,T-even Hamiltonian, and we add a perturbing potential which is P-odd, T-even, the matrix element of the new potential between the 2 states of opposite parity...
  48. cwill53

    Solving for Electrical Potential Energy: Durcell's Example

    This question is an example in Durcell's Electricity and Magnetism. The solution goes as follows: [In this case] there are four different types of pairs. One type involves the center charge, while the other three involve the various edges and diagonals of the cube. Summing over all pairs yields...
  49. Hamiltonian

    Total Potential of a Ring at Point P

    I tried finding the potential due to a small element dM of the ring let's say dV, the summation of dV for all the dM's of the ring will give the potential at the point P, but since every element dM of the ring is at a different distance from the point P I am unable to come up with a differential...
  50. Hamiltonian

    Gravitational potential energy -- Why is it always negative?

    the gravitational potential energy of a body at any point is defined to be negative of the work done by the conservative force(gravity in this case) from bringing it to that point from a given reference point. if the reference point is taken to be at infinity and the potential energy at this...
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