potential, electric definition of potential, electric in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

potential, electric, work per unit of electric charge expended in moving a charged body from a reference point to any given point in an electric field field, in physics, region throughout which a force may be exerted; examples are the gravitational, electric, and magnetic fields that surround, respectively, masses, electric charges, and magnets. The field concept was developed by M.
..... Click the link for more information. (see electrostatics electrostatics, study of phenomena associated with charged bodies at rest (see charge ; electricity ). A charged body has an excess of positive or negative charges, a condition usually brought about by the transfer of electrons to or from the body.
..... Click the link for more information. ). The potential at the reference point is considered to be zero, and the reference point itself is usually chosen to be at infinity. It can be shown that the potential associated with a charged body at a given point in a static electric field is independent of the path along which the body has traveled in passing from infinity to the given point. Potential is measured in volts volt [for Alessandro Volta ], abbr. V, unit of electric potential and electromotive force . It is defined as the difference of electric potential existing across the ends of a conductor carrying a constant current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated is 1 watt.
..... Click the link for more information. and is sometimes called voltage.