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The scalar potential is an example of a scalar field. Given a vector field F, the scalar potential P is defined such that: [1] = = (,,), where ∇P is the gradient of P and the second part of the equation is minus the gradient for a function of the Cartesian coordinates x, y, z. [a] In some cases, mathematicians may use a positive sign in front ...
Many times in the use and calculation of electric and magnetic fields, the approach used first computes an associated potential: the electric potential, , for the electric field, and the magnetic vector potential, A, for the magnetic field. The electric potential is a scalar field, while the magnetic potential is a vector field.
The Liénard–Wiechert potentials describe the classical electromagnetic effect of a moving electric point charge in terms of a vector potential and a scalar potential in the Lorenz gauge. Stemming directly from Maxwell's equations , these describe the complete, relativistically correct, time-varying electromagnetic field for a point charge in ...
Magnetic scalar potential, ψ, is a quantity in classical electromagnetism analogous to electric potential. It is used to specify the magnetic H -field in cases when there are no free currents , in a manner analogous to using the electric potential to determine the electric field in electrostatics .
Introducing the electric potential φ (a scalar potential) and the magnetic potential A (a vector potential) defined from the E and B fields by: =, =.. The four Maxwell's equations in a vacuum with charge ρ and current J sources reduce to two equations, Gauss's law for electricity is: + =, where here is the Laplacian applied on scalar functions, and the Ampère-Maxwell law is: (+) = where ...
In the context of special relativity, it is natural to join the magnetic vector potential together with the (scalar) electric potential into the electromagnetic potential, also called four-potential. One motivation for doing so is that the four-potential is a mathematical four-vector. Thus, using standard four-vector transformation rules, if ...
The gravitational potential (V) at a location is the gravitational potential energy (U) at that location per unit mass: =, where m is the mass of the object. Potential energy is equal (in magnitude, but negative) to the work done by the gravitational field moving a body to its given position in space from infinity.
The simplest definition for a potential gradient F in one dimension is the following: [1] = = where ϕ(x) is some type of scalar potential and x is displacement (not distance) in the x direction, the subscripts label two different positions x 1, x 2, and potentials at those points, ϕ 1 = ϕ(x 1), ϕ 2 = ϕ(x 2).