The electrical potential (also called the electric field potential, potential drop, the electrostatic potential) is defined as the amount of work energy needed per unit of electric charge to move this charge from a reference point to the specific point in an electric field. More precisely, it is the energy per unit charge for a test charge that is so small that the disturbance of the field under consideration is negligible. Furthermore, the motion across the field is supposed to proceed with negligible acceleration, so as to avoid the test charge acquiring kinetic energy or producing radiation.

The electric potential at a point due to a source charge can be expressed as follows:

V = kQ/r

where:

* V is the electric potential at the point (in volts)
* k is Coulomb's constant (8.9875 × 10^9 N m^2/C^2)
* Q is the source charge (in coulombs)
* r is the distance between the source charge and the point (in meters)

The electric potential is a scalar quantity, which means it has only magnitude and no direction. It is measured in volts.

The electric potential is a useful concept because it can be used to calculate the work done in moving a charge from one point to another. The work done is equal to the difference in the electric potentials at the two points.

The electric potential also plays an important role in understanding the behavior of electric circuits. The voltage difference between two points in a circuit is what drives the current flow.

Here are some examples of the electrical potential in daily life:

* The electric potential difference between the positive and negative terminals of a battery is what drives the current flow in the circuit.
* The electric potential difference between the ground and a charged object is what causes the object to be attracted to the ground.
* The electric potential difference between two points in a capacitor is what stores the energy in the capacitor.