Potential (disambiguation)

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.

It may refer to:

Mathematics and physics

• Scalar potential, a scalar field whose gradient is a given vector field
• Vector potential, a vector field whose curl is a given vector field
• Potential function (disambiguation)
• Potential variable (Boolean differential calculus)

• Potential energy, the energy possessed by an object because of its position relative to other objects, stresses within itself, its electric charge, or other factors
• Magnetic potential, the vector potential or the magnetic scalar potential (ψ)
• Electric potential, the amount of work needed to move a unit positive charge from a reference point to a specific point inside the field without producing any acceleration
• Electromagnetic four-potential, a relativistic vector function from which the electromagnetic field can be derived
• Coulomb potential
• Van der Waals force, distance-dependent interactions between atoms or molecules
• Lennard-Jones potential, a mathematical model that approximates the interaction between a pair of neutral atoms or molecules.
• Yukawa potential, a potential in particle physics which may arise from the exchange of a massive scalar field
• Gravitational potential

Biology

• Action potential, occurs when the membrane potential of a specific axon location rapidly rises and falls: this depolarisation then causes adjacent locations to similarly depolarise
• Membrane potential, the difference in electric potential between the interior and the exterior of a biological cell. With respect to the exterior of the cell, typical values of membrane potential range from –40 mV to –80 mV
• Water potential, the potential energy of water per unit volume relative to pure water in reference conditions

Linguistics

• Potential mood

Popular culture

• "Potential" (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), an episode of a television series
• Potential and new Slayers, characters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Potential (song), a song by Danielle Bradbery on her album, I Don't Believe We've Met

Philosophy and society

• Potentiality and actuality, a "possibility" that a thing can be said to have
• Human Potential Movement, a social movement which asserts that all people have extraordinary untapped potential capacities

See also

• All pages with titles beginning with Potential
• Ability (disambiguation)