Potenciális

Potenciális is a Hungarian adjective meaning related to potential or the capacity to develop into something. In everyday language it describes something that could become real but has not yet. In science and engineering, potenciális is used to translate the English term “potential” and appears in compounds such as potenciális energia (potential energy) and potenciális mező (potential field).

The word is derived from Latin potentia via European languages, and in Hungarian potenciális is used both as a modifier and within compound terms such as potenciális energia and potenciális tér.

In physics, potential energy is energy stored due to position in a force field. A potential function, often denoted Φ or V, is a scalar field whose spatial gradient determines the corresponding force: F = -∇U or F = -∇V. Examples include gravitational potential energy U = mgh near Earth and electric potential energy Ue = kQq/r. The electric potential, or potential difference V, is central to electrostatics and circuit theory.

Mathematically, a potential function is a scalar function from which a vector field can be derived as a gradient. Potential theory studies such functions, including harmonic functions and the Newtonian potential, and is connected to Laplace’s equation and Green’s functions.

In biology and physiology, membrane potential refers to the voltage difference across a cell membrane, produced by ion gradients. Neurons rely on changes of potential to transmit signals; resting membrane potentials are typically negative relative to the outside, and rapid depolarization leads to an action potential, enabling nerve communication.