Is electric potential conservative? yes.?

AI Thread Summary
Electric potential is associated with conservative electrostatic fields, which can be represented as the gradient of a scalar potential. The discussion clarifies that a conservative potential leads to conservative forces, emphasizing that it is path-independent and solely dependent on coordinates. Participants debate the definitions of "conservative," with some asserting that any single-valued scalar potential results in a conservative field. The conversation highlights the relationship between electric potential and conservative fields, underscoring the importance of clarity in terminology. Overall, electric potential is confirmed to be conservative in the context of electrostatics.
seto6
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is electric potential conservative?

is it correct?
 
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Electrostatic fields are conservative (a conservative field is one that can be represented as the gradient of some scalar potential). Electric potential is a scalar, so I'm not sure what you mean by conservative...what is a conservative scalar?
 
yes it is a scalar so is it conservative
 
What definiton of "conservative" are you using?
 
gabbagabbahey said:
What definiton of "conservative" are you using?
Conservative potential is a potential that gives rise to conservative force.

Alternatively, it's one that is path independent, and is simply a function of coordinate.
 
K^2 said:
Conservative potential is a potential that gives rise to conservative force.

That definition makes no sense. Any single-valued scalar potential will give rise to a conservative field.

Alternatively, it's one that is path independent, and is simply a function of coordinate.

All scalars are path independent.
 

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