potential

A scalar quantity associated with a force whose rate of change with distance is proportional to the strength of that force; symbol V. In a gravitational field, it is the potential energy of an object of mass 1 kg; in an electric field it is the potential energy of a charge of 1 C.

In physics, a potential may refer to the scalar potential or to the vector potential. Leading examples are the gravitational potential and the electric potential, from which the motion of gravitating or electrically charged bodies may be obtained.

Many entities in physics may be described as vector fields, but it is often easier to work with the corresponding potentials as proxies for the fields themselves. As a body moves through such a force field, it rises and falls in the field's potential, gaining and losing energy through mechanical work. The electric field also behaves this way in many cases, though in the general case it does not (see Electric potential and Faraday's Law).

The mathematical study of potentials is known as potential theory; This mathematical formulation arises from the fact that, in physics, the scalar potential is irrotational, and thus has a vanishing Laplacian -- the very definition of a harmonic function.

Specific forces have associated potentials, including the Coulomb potential, the van der Waals potential, the Lennard-Jones potential and the Yukawa potential.