<P> 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 . Examples include: </P> <Ul> <Li> In linguistics, the potential mood . </Li> <Li> The mathematical study of potentials is known as potential theory; it is the study of harmonic functions on manifolds . 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 . </Li> <Li> In physics, a potential may refer to the scalar potential or to the vector potential . In either case, it is a field defined in space, from which many important physical properties may be derived . <Ul> <Li> Leading examples are the gravitational potential and the electric potential, from which the motion of gravitating or electrically charged bodies may be obtained . </Li> <Li> Specific forces have associated potentials, including the Coulomb potential, the van der Waals potential, the Lennard - Jones potential and the Yukawa potential . </Li> <Li> In electrochemistry there are Galvani potential, Volta potential, electrode potential, standard electrode potential . </Li> <Li> In thermodynamics potential refers to thermodynamic potential . </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul> <Li> In linguistics, the potential mood . </Li>

What is the meaning of potential in physics