What is electric potential?

 What is electric potential? Physics class 12

Electric potential, in simple language, refers to the amount of electric potential energy possessed by a charged object per unit of electric charge. It represents the electrical "pressure" or "force" experienced by a charged particle at a particular location in an electric field.

Think of electric potential as similar to gravitational potential. Just as a ball placed at a higher elevation has gravitational potential energy due to its position, a charged object has electric potential energy due to its position in an electric field. The electric potential is a measure of how much electric potential energy per unit charge is stored at a specific point.

Electric potential is measured in volts (V), named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta. It can be thought of as the "push" or "pull" that charged particles experience within an electric field. When an electric charge is placed in an area of high electric potential, it will tend to move toward an area of lower electric potential, similar to how a ball will roll downhill due to gravity.

In summary, electric potential is a measure of the electric energy stored per unit charge at a particular point in an electric field, representing the "pressure" or "force" experienced by charged particles.