Electric potential

Electric potential is electric potential energy per unit charge at a point in an electric field. Its SI unit is the volt, equal to one joule per coulomb.

Electric potential energy: The energy a charged object has because of its position in an electric field. Dividing this energy by charge gives electric potential.
Electric charge: A property of matter that causes electromagnetic interactions, with positive and negative forms. Potential is defined by the energy associated with each unit of charge.
Electric battery: A device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy through electrochemical reactions. A battery maintains a potential difference that can drive current through a circuit.
Electric potential difference: The change in electric potential between two specified points. It is measurable without choosing a global zero, unlike a point's potential value.
Electric field: A vector field that gives the electric force per unit positive test charge at each point. The field points toward decreasing potential and determines its spatial change.
Work (physics): Energy transferred when a force moves an object through a displacement. Work by an electric field changes a charge's potential energy.
Voltmeter: An instrument that measures the potential difference between two points. Its reading reports a difference in electric potential, not an absolute value.
Electric field strength: The magnitude of the electric field, equal to force per unit positive charge. It is a local vector magnitude, whereas potential is a scalar energy-per-charge quantity.
Voltage: The difference in electric potential between two points, measured in volts. Potential differences, rather than absolute values, drive charge transfer in circuits.
Conservative force: A force whose work between two points is independent of the path taken. Electrostatic forces permit potential energy to be assigned to position.

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