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. D

    What happens when one of two cocentric spherical shells is grounded?

    Hi! I need help with this problem. When the outer shell is grouded, its potential goes to zero, ##V_2=0## and so does it charge, right? ##-Q=0##. So the field would be the one produced by the inner shell ##E=\frac{Q}{4\pi\epsilon_0 R_1^2}##. When the inner shell is grounded, I think that...
  2. jisbon

    Potential difference in Capacitors

    Firstly, I'm given this complicated circuit as shown below. What I have to do first, is to simplify it, which I will need help in checking. One question here: It's not possible to simplify this by adding resistors in series and capacitors in series am I, right? Or is it possible in this case...
  3. SpaceThoughts

    What Does Negative Potential Energy Indicate in Colliding Iron Balls in Space?

    Hi Everyone. I am hoping to get a little help with this: Two equal balls of iron each with a mass of 1000 kg are placed in rest in space 10 meters from each other. Because of gravity they start to accelerate towards each other, and collide in the end. I would like to know how to calculate the...
  4. Kaushik

    Negative potential energy vs Positive potential energy

    What is the physical difference between negative potential energy and positive potential energy? PS- When I was reading about surface tension I came through the following line - ' The molecules at bulk inside the fluid has lesser negative potential energy than those on the surface.' In this...
  5. kmm

    Potential of a grounded conductor in the presence of an external charge

    If we set the potential at infinity to be zero, we find that the potential of a grounded conductor is V=0. The conductor being grounded has no net charge and produces no external field, so I understand why in that situation we would say the potential of the conductor is zero. However, in...
  6. F

    Where does the energy come from in the potential difference in the Hall effect?

    Where does energy come from in potential difference appearing in Hall effect?It is magnetic force causes this potential.But we know that magnetic force does not do work on motion charge particles, then where is the energy come from?It seems contradiction that magnetic forces cause the potential...
  7. D

    Do these half-reactions have electrode potential that depends on pH?

    Do following half-reactions have electrode potential that depends on pH? I know H+ or OH- ions wouldn't be included in Nernst equation for these, but would pH affect chemical balance in these reactions, and therefore electrode potentials? Br2+2e- -> 2Br- Cl2+2e- -> 2Cl- I2+2e- -> 2I- S2O8+2e-...
  8. peguerosdc

    How to relate the gravitational potential energy zero to the axes?

    (Throughout all my post, I will refer to “gravitational potential energy” just as “potential energy”) Hi! I have this confusion about when is potential energy positive/negative and how it is related to how we define our axes. I think it is easier to understand my confusion with the following...
  9. P

    How can I use KVL and KCL to find the potential differences in this circuit?

    In the figure ε = 9.89 V, R1 = 1150 Ω, R2 = 2890 Ω, and R3 = 4940 Ω. What are the potential differences (in V) (a) VA - VB, (b) VB - VC, (c) VC - VD, and (d) VA - VC?What I've tried I have derived the equation ε - i1R1 - i2R2 = 0 where i1 is the current running through R1 and vice...
  10. Haorong Wu

    How to calculate electric potential, given some other potential?

    The problem can be simplified to a configuration in ##x-y## plane where two point at ##y## axis with ##y=\pm R## have potential of ##0##, and two point at ##x## axis with ##x=\pm R## have potential of ##U=V_0 \cos \Omega_T t##. The expression of ##U## is not important, the problem is now to...
  11. P

    Potential of the terminals on a DC power supply

    Summary: Hi there On a 12VDC transformer we use at school. Is the positive terminal +6V above ground potential and the negative terminal -6V below ground potential? Thank You Hi there On a 12VDC transformer we use at school. Is the positive terminal +6V above ground potential and the negative...
  12. jtbell

    Potential issues with Face ID versus Touch ID?

    It looks like sometime in the next few days I'm going to buy a new iPhone to replace my 5S. I've been thinking about this for almost a year, but now it's become somewhat urgent because my wife needs to replace her old Nokia non-smartphone soon. According to our cellular provider (Consumer...
  13. E

    Does electric potential exist without a test charge?

    Usually for a charge Q we state that for each point in space there exists a potential, and we can calculate this, draw graphs of potential etc. However, if electric potential energy is a property of a system of two charges, and potential is PE for a 1C test charge, then how can we even define a...
  14. Baibhab Bose

    Infinitesimal Perturbation in a potential well

    If I calculate ## <\psi^0|\epsilon|\psi^0>## and ## <\psi^0|-\epsilon|\psi^0>## separately and then add, the correction seems to be 0 since ##\epsilon## is a constant perturbation term. SO how should I approach this? And how the Δ is relevant in this calculation?
  15. AndresPB

    Electric Field from its Potential of a Half Circle along its Z axis

    So I figured out the potential is: dV = (1/(4*Pi*Epsilon_0))*[λ dl/sqrt(z^2+a^2)] . From that expression: We can figure out that since its half a ring we have to integrate from 0 to pi*a, so we would get: V = (1/(4*Pi*Epsilon_0))*[λ {pi*a]/sqrt(z^2+a^2)] In that expression: a = sqrt(x^2+y^2)...
  16. Kaushik

    A few questions about Potential Energy

    Is it possible to briefly explain the potential energy concept? Why is potential energy only associated with conservative forces? Does potential energy really exist? Or Is it just kinetic energy from different reference frame?
  17. Philip Koeck

    A What is the mean inner potential in an ideal crystal of finite size?

    In a hypothetical, electrically neutral, ideal crystal, where all unit cells are identical, even the ones at the surface: What would the average value of the electrostatic potential be compared to that of the vacuum outside the crystal? Would it be the same or more positive? As a simple example...
  18. Stormzy67

    Elastic potential energy and natural length of a spring- relation?

    I figured out that the spring constant is inversely proportional to the natural length, but there’s still an unknown change in a quantity( most likely extension).
  19. C

    Electrostatic potential on a 3d object

    How to calculate the eletrostatic potential on a 3d object, for example a ring, if it is charger with some "Q" charge what is the potential on the surface of the ring?And how do i calculate it based on the charge of the ring?
  20. TheQuestionGuy14

    How does gravitational potential energy work?

    Gravitational energy is the potential energy a physical object with mass has in relation to another massive object due to gravity, so, does an object outside a gravitational field have no gravitational potential energy? For example, the Earth is 4.5 billion years old, so it's gravity stretches...
  21. Muhammad Usman

    How can a magnetic field generate a Potential Difference?

    Problem Statement: Potential difference is the difference in the quantity of charge in both potentials. How does the magnetic field creates this difference of charges ? Relevant Equations: None Hi, I was reading electricity and found that the difference in potential of both end is the...
  22. eliUCV

    I Quantum Mechanics, The Delta-Function potential

    Hi, I have a question, why when we study the Delta-Function Potencial we can treat with ##E < V##, since the following relation says ##\frac{d^2 \psi}{dx^2} = \frac{2m}{\hbar^2} (V - E) \psi## And do not allow it? or it is just ##E <...
  23. Physics lover

    Variation of electric field and potential along the axis of a cone

    Options are at the top of page as a) b) c) d) Answer may more than one. Now since 'a' is distance from the smaller surface of cone so as we move along the axis area will increase,So current charge density will decrease and as we know J=sigma E,E will decrease,but V will remain constant since...
  24. J

    Expectation of Momentum in a Classical (Infinite) Potential Well

    Okay so I begin first by mentioning the length of the well to be L, with upper bound, L/2 and lower bound, -L/2 and the conjugate u* = Aexp{-iz} First I begin by writing out the expectation formula: ## \langle p \rangle = \int_{\frac{L}{2}}^{ \frac{L}{2} } Aexp(-iu) -i \hbar \frac{ \partial }{...
  25. QuarkDecay

    I Morse Potenials Energy eigenvalues

    I know the eigen value of energy in a Morse potential is Evib= ħωo(v+ 1/2) - ħωoxe(v+ 1/2)2 but is this the same for every Morse potential, given that the masses μ of the diatomic molecules are the same? The two potentials are these:
  26. W

    Regarding the idea of potential energy

    I am studying basic mechanics and have reached the chapter on potential energy. However I am a bit confused about the difference between potential energy and the formula for the potential energy due to work done by a conservative force. I am not sure which of the following interpretations is...
  27. migueldbg

    Potential from point charge at distance ##l## from conducting sphere

    After looking around a bit, I found that, considering the polar axis to be along the direction of the point charge as suggested by the exercise, the following Legendre polynomial expansion is true: $$\begin{equation}\frac{1}{|\mathbf{r} - \mathbf{r'}|} = \sum_{n=0}^\infty...
  28. D

    How to find the period of small oscillations given the potential?

    I first found the equilibrium points taking the derivative of the potential. ##U'(x)=U_0 a\sin(ax)##, and the equilibrum is when the derivative is 0, so ##U_0 a\sin(ax)=0## so ##x=0## or ##x=\pi/a##. Taking the second derivative ##U''(x)=U_0a^2 \cos(ax)## I find that ##x=0## is a minimum point...
  29. Wrichik Basu

    B "Slowly varying" potential for WKB approximation

    In order to use WKB approximation, the potential has to be "slowly varying". I learned the method from this video: But the Professor hasn't mentioned in detail what the measure of "slowly varying" is. What is the limit beyond which we cannot use the WKB method accurately?
  30. Beelzedad

    I Is Leibniz integral rule allowed in this potential improper integral?

    Electric potential at a point inside the charge distribution is: ##\displaystyle \psi (\mathbf{r})=\lim\limits_{\delta \to 0} \int_{V'-\delta} \dfrac{\rho (\mathbf{r'})}{|\mathbf{r}-\mathbf{r'}|} dV'## where: ##\delta## is a small volume around point ##\mathbf{r}=\mathbf{r'}## ##\mathbf{r}##...
  31. A

    An electron is placed at Point P, Calculate the Potential Energy

    Not quite sure how to approach this question - do I need to calculate -qEd for all three charges and then the electron and add them together? Thanks
  32. K

    I Gravitational Potential Energy in GR

    Hi, folks. Several years ago I made a YouTube video with a new demonstration of GR for a general audience ("How Gravity Makes Things Fall"). It won a pretty prestigious physics award. I still get comments and questions on it. One today stumped me: "How do we account for potential energy if...
  33. E

    Draw an electric circuit potential graph

    Hi. I have physics homework that I don't understand. Hopefully, someone here can give me some advice. So, the homework goes like this: Draw an electric circuit potential graph and find out the potential difference between points B and C. The two resistors have equal values. Believe me or...
  34. J

    Understanding the derivation for Elastic Potential Energy.

    Elastic Potential Energy of a Strained Body (A) Using ## Y = \frac {stress}{strain}## we get ##F = \frac {AY}{L} * x## where ##F## is the restoring force, ##x## is the distance the body is stretched by. Since Work = PE (spring force/ stress is conservative?) Thus ##W = \int_{0}^{x} \frac...
  35. Terrycho

    The Potential Energy Function in Three-Dimensional Motion

    I set the location of the particle (x,y,z); therefore, → the force F_1 is (z^2/root(x^2+y^2) * x/root(x^2+y^2) , z^2/root(x^2+y^2) * y/root(x^2+y^2), 0), since cosΘ is x/root(x^2+y^2). →...
  36. B

    I Gravitational potential gradient in accelerated reference frames?

    Hi, Could you please help me to clarify the following problem? In the gravitational field of a mass, the force on a body in steady state comes from the gradient of the gravitational potential - or the gradient of speed of time. But what about accelerated reference frames? I assume that there is...
  37. B

    Potential at a point multiple choice question ( aqa)

    I understand how they arrived at the answer of 2Q , but i have a couple of questions on this. If one of the charges were negative for example how would the resultant potential be found then? at the middle point would i add the positive charges and subtracted the negative ? Also what would the...
  38. dRic2

    Simple electric potential and Laplace equation

    Imagine to be in 2 dimensions and you have to find the potential generated by 4 point-charges of equal charge located at the four corners of a square. To do that I think we simply add all the contributions of each single charge: $$V_i(x, y) = - \frac k {| \mathbf r - \mathbf r_i|}$$ $$ V(x, y)...
  39. T

    Expressing the magnetic vector potential in terms of its curl

    We have the retarded magnetic vector potential ##\mathbf{A}(\mathbf{r},t) = \dfrac{\mu_0}{4\pi} \int \dfrac{\mathbf{J}(\mathbf{r}',t_r)}{|\mathbf{r}-\mathbf{r}'|} \mathrm{d}^3 \mathbf{r}'## And its curl ##\mathbf{B}(\mathbf{r}, t) = \frac{\mu_0}{4 \pi} \int \left[\frac{\mathbf{J}(\mathbf{r}'...
  40. K

    Clarification of electric potential difference

    I have some questions regarding the sign of potential difference. For example, given the literal definition as the difference in potential between two locations it should be possible for potential difference to be negative if the final potential is less than the initial, but while reading texts...
  41. S

    Potential at the origin due to an infinite set of point charges

    Summary: Potential at origin of an infinite set of point charges with charge (4^n)q and distance (3^n)a along x-axis where n starts at 1. From V=q/r, we find Vtotal=sum from 1 to infinity of (4/3)^n(q/a), which diverges. There cannot be infinite potential because there is a finite electric...
  42. alicia12131415

    How do I calculate elastic potential energy?

    Is this the correct formula to use, if not what is. I really just don't know where to start. I really just need to know where and how to start.
  43. K

    Calculate potential form poisson equation

    Hi. I've the following charge density: ## \rho = \rho_0 \frac {r}{R} ## I'm getting a trouble to calculate the potential inside a sphere of radius R located in the center of axis with the given charge density (using poisson equation): the Laplacian in spherical coordinates is: ##\frac {1}{r^2}...
  44. A

    I Taylor Series for Potential in Crystals

    Hi, I've been reading the passage attached below and from what I understand we are looking at a 1D chain of atoms and if anyone atom moves it changes the potential for surrounding atoms and cause a change in energy in the system so the total energy is dependent on all the positions of the atoms...
  45. EEristavi

    Why a DC power supply doesn't have a voltage with respect to ground?

    I see that DC power supply have voltage between it's + & - and its 24V. However, there is no voltage with ground. I don't understand - if device's "point" has some potential, why doesn't it give some voltage with ground (which has ~0 potential) I tried this with phoenix contact...
  46. B

    AQA physics paper question: Where is the potential zero near these charges?

    This question is a bit werid because would there be a resulatant electric potential equal to zero as we have a positive and negative charge in which case there's no neutral point. As E1-E2 , they have to be acting in oppostie directions , in this case would they be acting in the same direction.
  47. Aryamaan Thakur

    Electric potential at the edge of a thin charged circular plate

    My question might sound stupid to you but please clear my confusions. I'm taking an circular arc like element on the plate. That arc has a radius of 'r' (AB) and the radius is inclined at an angle 'θ' with OA (∠OAB). The area between arc of radius r and r+dr is dA. dA = 2θr.dr The charge on...
  48. M

    Prove the dipole potential is differentiable everywhere except at the surface

    The dipole potential is given by: ##\displaystyle\psi=\int_{V'} \dfrac{\rho}{|\mathbf{r}-\mathbf{r'}|} dV' +\oint_{S'} \dfrac{\sigma}{|\mathbf{r}-\mathbf{r'}|} dS'## I need to prove that ##\psi## is differentiable at points except at boundary ##S'## (where it is discontinuous) I know if...
  49. cianfa72

    Electric potential difference between a battery's + terminal and the ground

    Hi, I've a question about electricity in the following scenario: consider an accumulator (e.g. a 9V battery) and an analog/digital voltmeter having a probe connected to the accumulator + clamp and the other to the ground (for instance connecting it to a metal rod stuck in the ground). Do you...
  50. J

    I How to derive the energy of a parabolic confining potential in a wire

    Hi all, How to derive the energy of a parabolic confining potential in a wire as shown below? I tried to follow the derivation of the harmonic, oscillator like we did for the quantum well and the magnetic field but i can't find anything that has an expression that come close to the one shown...
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