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.
In Bransden textbook, it is stated that the probability current density is constant since we are dealing with 1-d stationary states. It gives probability flux outside the finite potential barrier which I verified to be constant with respect to x, but it doesn't provide the probability current...
Hello to everyone. The question or debate here is how you obtain the commonly known equation of dipole electric moment:
from the electrostatic potential equation for a multipole of order n:
I understand it is related with Dirac delta functions but a step by step solution might be helpful.Thank...
Hi everyone,
I recently finished applying to a university for grad school. Previously, I had contacted a professor with whom I wanted to work with, and it seemed they were also interested in taking me as a PhD student. Ideally, would one follow up (by email) with the professor once they've...
Usps=1/2(1.8x10^6)(0.03)^2=810J
Ke=1/2mv^2=1/2(0.05)(300)^2=2250J
I don't know how to take it farther than this, or if this is the correct way to start the problem. If this is correct, would it be correct to assume that the bullet does penetrate the creature because Ke overcomes Usps?
I know that gravitational potential energy is decreased by E = -m g h = -1 10 0.02 = -0.2. So, the spring potential energy must be E=0.2 (Joule).
However, in the answer's sheet I have E=0.1
What mistake do I make?
C is just the constant by ##\psi''##
My initial attempt was to write out the schrodinger equation in the case that x>0 and x<0, so that
$$ \frac {\psi'' (x)} {\psi (x)} = C(E-V(x))$$
and
$$ \frac {\psi'' (-x)} {\psi (-x)} = C(E-V(-x))$$
And since V(-x) = V(x) I equated them and...
Most potentials in physics are expressed as a radius or another geometric norm/gauge.
I am looking to understand the significance of the choice of potential functions for force/pressure separation in harmonic analysis before this creates a topology.
To my understanding this is the decision of...
I understand that you need to integrate f(x), and the negative of that is U(x).
But the last part of the problem says "Clearly state any assumptions you make."
And the answer is just the antiderivative of that f(x) without any constant from integrationHow does that make sense
So, let's say you have a donut - shaped planet, so a second object can move right on top of the center of mass of the first object. Does force go to infinity? How about potential energy?
Or, just take one object, divide it into elements, what happens to the central element of mass within the...
"of the two types of solutions which the Maxwell equations yield for the wave
equation, the retarded and advanced potentials, only the retarded field seems
to have a physical meaning,"
let's start please with basic (and detailed as possible for the knowledgeable layman! p.s-which equation is...
I think choice B is correct because when I draw the free body diagram of each object, there are three forces acting on each of them and the resultant force is towards the center.
Choice C is wrong because the net field at center is zero.
I think choice D is also correct because if the...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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-...
(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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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?
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)...
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?
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...
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).
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?
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...
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...
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 <...
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...
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 }{...
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:
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...
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...
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...
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?
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}##...
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...
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...
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...
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).
→...
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...
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...
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)...
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}'...