To Metallicbeing and to Quasi426,
Metallicbeing, I agree with you 100%. And the following contains additional information that others might find useful. In the first few paragraphs, I have used your words and I have applied a few grammatical changes to present our ideas in third person, to correct a couple misspellings, and to expand on your ideas.
Quasi, see my responses to you at the end.
Electrically speaking, potential and voltage are the same. The only difference is the way each "term" is used to describe a given scenario.
When one speaks about voltage, one is generally referring to doing work with the Value (ie., modifying the circuit, presenting a load, measuring the voltage for meaningful calculations to be considered, or to check the results of calculations or modifications made to the circuit, etc.).
However, when one speaks about potential, one is generally speaking about relating one reference to another.
An example for using the word "potential" would be to speak about two systems that are separately grounded.
"Grounded", by definition, means that the system has a zero point of reference.
Yes. And there are different types of zero references. Earth-grounding is used in most cases to provide a safe shunt-to-earth ground for currents that have "strayed" out of their normal operating scenarios. Supposedly, if the massive chassis of an electromotor or turbine-powered generator becomes energized because of an internal fault, the massive grounding straps will shunt the current to Earth so that humans or other machines in the area do not become conductors to ground.
The "Earth-ground" conductor, to which the Neutral conductor is connected, has also the possibility of conducting part of the current returning from the load.
But there are also "Ground-planes" that have nothing to do with Earth-ground. These Ground-planes provide local power supplies and components of a particular system or PCB (printed circuit board) its own point of reference. Many times, these Ground-planes will have significant differences in potential compared to Earth-ground or even compared to other system's ground planes. It is best to leave such Ground-planes floating and its associated system totally isolated.
Sometimes, if one takes a voltage reading between two separately grounded systems, one will find that there is some "potential" between them. This is the correct way to use the term "potential".
Yes. Now, if one wishes to somehow make some kind of inter-connection between the two systems, simply determining that a potential exists is NOT the end of the story. If the potential exists between the two Zero-point references, care must be taken to consider the effects of connecting the two together, especially if the two systems are powered by different PHASES.
Other considerations:
Is the potential difference the result of some cross-talk from the phase line? Or from some other "leakage" from other in-system component. Does the potential contain some AC characteristic like 50/60 Hz, or does it contain a characteristic from RF radiation, such as a microwave antenna or radio station in the area? Generally, such AC problems can and should be corrected using decoupling capacitors of appropriate values and sufficient numbers to reduce the AC component to within reasonable or workable limits. Now, I know what you are thinking. We were first talking about DC, not AC potentials.
DC potentials can also exist between two separate systems for some very similar reasons. In-system components can influence the local Zero-reference. The reason you can measure a potential (or voltage difference) between the two systems' Zero-reference is that there may be a great distance(electrically) between the two "ground planes", or the Neutral conductor may be insufficient in size(diameter) to eliminate the difference. Even the copper- Neutral conductor and Earth-ground conductor present "some" resistance to current flow. (Remember what happens to your power saw when you power it using a 50 meter power cord? It runs slower because the cord itself is "dropping" some of the voltage.)
Additionally, if a connection is to be made between TWO SEPARATELY GROUNDED BUILDINGS, consider that there could be some difference in the way the buildings are themselves grounded. Could there also be a difference in the materials used to build the foundations that could be creating some kind of dis-similar materials reaction with the Earth itself. Could there be different types of ground-rods used? (Copper-rod?, copper-plated?, copper pipes?, iron pipes?, steel pipes?, aluminum?, Insulating materials used somewhere in the pipe or conductor train to earth-ground?, improper binding, hence a resistance?, dissimilar metals used in the grounding circuit, hence a voltage potential created?.) Might one foundation grounding be saturated with water, and the other high and dry, virtually insulated and "floating"? It's all connected somehow, and altogether, there could be numerous combinations of little µVoltages running throughout. True, Building and Electrical Codes exist to standardize this, but... we are speaking about Reality.).
Yes, one could simply connect the two "ground-planes" together with a conductor large enough or short enough to present virtually no resistance. But take care. What effect will there be to the power supplies or to the delicate semiconductor circuits of a system if the Zero reference is suddenly raised or lowered by an arbitrary 0.5 Volt or 2.3 Volts compared to its input phase or compared to its ability to relate to the signals received from yet a third system. This potential must be considered, measured and the direction of current flow determined. By eliminating the resistance previously existing in the Neutral conductor, you are now introducing to each system the full effect of the voltage difference, basically adding a battery or two between them. Current will flow.
But, better that this current flows in the Neutral conductor than through your data lines. (Data lines should be isolated anyway by use of isolation transformers, or optoelectronics.)
To Quasi426, who had begun this string. I understand your frustration over this question. This discussion has occurred more than once at our BerufsSchule (Trade School). You had written:
"Can someone explain to me what the difference between a potential and a voltage are. My understanding as of now is that a potential occurs when two elements of different charge density are compared but not connected to each other. Therefore the potential indicates the possible voltage that may occur if the two elements were to be connected to complete a circuit. I'm sure it is flawed, thanks for the help."
I agree with your original understanding in general except for a one word. Where you had written, "Therefore the potential indicates the possible "voltage" that may occur if the two elements were to be connected...". I respond, that you probably meant to say that, "potential indicates the possibility that "current" would occur if the two were connected. If the voltage difference (the potential) exists, then, absolutely yes, ...if the two are connected, current will definitely flow. Voltage does not flow; current flows. Voltage exists, or lies on ..., or is applied to... Current flows through...
Also, "Charge Density" is yet another subject for discussion we need not get into for the purpose of the discussion of "potential vs. voltage". Suffice it to say, if you have a difference in potentials(which is also referred to as "potential"), then it can be measured in units of Voltage, and there is the certainty for current flow if the two are connected with any conductance having any resistance less than Infinity.
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