electric potential: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	electrostatic potential

Photos

Diagram showing a positive charge q placed between two parallel plates, with the lower plate labeled B containing positive signs and the upper plate labeled A containing negative signs. Vertical arrows represent the electric field E pointing from plate B to plate A, while green arrows indicate the direction of the electric force F acting upward on the positive charge. The distance between the plates is labeled d.

Two line graphs compare voltage over time. The left graph shows a sharp rise to a constant voltage labeled Va, while the right graph shows a gradual, curved increase in voltage labeled Vb. Both graphs have voltage on the y-axis and time in milliseconds on the x-axis.

A line graph displays a sinusoidal voltage wave described by V equals 170 cosine of 377t, with voltage on the vertical axis (ranging from -200 to 200 volts) and time in milliseconds on the horizontal axis (0 to 40 times 10 to the negative 3 seconds).

Diagram of an electrode configuration inside a metal tube, showing a blue circular rod at -20 volts and a red L-shaped bracket at +20 volts, with the tube itself at zero volts.

A grid of numbers on a gray background represents electrostatic potentials in volts. Central rows show red numbers at 20 volts and blue numbers at negative 20 volts, with other values decreasing outward and zeros along the edges.

A diagram shows a positive charge labeled Q on the left and two dashed paths from point B to point A on the right. Path 1 goes directly from B to A, while path 2 follows a route from B to C to D to A. Both paths illustrate possible ways to move a second charge q in the presence of Q.

See All Images →

Topics

gate voltage contact potential potential difference equipotential surface beam voltage Christoffel voltage accelerating potential pulsating voltage relative electrode potential endocochlear potential bioelectricity static electricity thermoelectricity Today in History—June 10: Benjamin Franklin Flies a Kite—and Makes History How does electricity work?electrolysis electrophoresis piezoelectricity atmospheric electricity

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Henry Cavendish

Henry Cavendish

British physicist

battery. Illustration of battery connected to lightbulb. Power a light bulb with a battery. Battery, Power Supply, Science, Circuit, Currents

Electricity: Short Circuits & Direct Currents

battery. Illustration of battery connected to lightbulb. Power a light bulb with a battery. Battery, Power Supply, Science, Circuit, Currents

Electricity: Short Circuits & Direct Currents