Editing Electric potential (section)

== Introduction ==
[[Classical mechanics]] explores concepts such as [[Force (physics)|force]], [[energy]], and [[potential]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Young |first1=Hugh A. |last2=Freedman |first2=Roger D. |title=Sears and Zemansky's University Physics with Modern Physics |date=2012 |publisher=Addison-Wesley |location=Boston |page=754 |edition=13th}}</ref> Force and potential energy are directly related. A net force acting on any object will cause it to [[acceleration|accelerate]]. As an object moves in the direction of a force acting on it, its potential energy decreases. For example, the [[gravitational potential energy]] of a cannonball at the top of a hill is greater than at the base of the hill. As it rolls downhill, its potential energy decreases and is being translated to motion – [[kinetic energy]].

It is possible to define the potential of certain force fields so that the potential energy of an object in that field depends only on the position of the object with respect to the field. Two such force fields are a [[gravity|gravitational field]] and an electric field (in the absence of time-varying magnetic fields). Such fields affect objects because of the intrinsic properties  (e.g., [[mass]] or charge) and positions of the objects.

An object may possess a property known as [[electric charge]]. Since an [[electric field]] exerts force on a charged object, if the object has a positive charge, the force will be in the direction of the [[electric field vector]] at the location of the charge; if the charge is negative, the force will be in the opposite direction. 

The magnitude of force is given by the quantity of the charge multiplied by the magnitude of the electric field vector,

<math display=block>|\mathbf{F}| = q |\mathbf{E}|.</math>