Alternate Definitions for Potential

exclude archived terms
Term: Potential
Definition:

The work required per unit charge to move acharge from a reference point to a point at infinity (electric potential isdefined to be zero). The electric potential of a spacecraft is oftenreferred to as the "spacecraft potential". The spacecraft potential is theelectric potential of the spacecraft relative to the potential of the nearbyplasma. The spacecraft potential is non-zero because the spacecraft chargesto the level that the emitted photoelectron flux going to infinity isbalanced by the plasma electron flux to the spacecraft.

Created 2023.04.16
Last Modified 2023.04.16
Contributed by Ryan McGranaghan
Permalink:
https://n2t.net/ark:/99152/h10559