electric potential

potential /po·ten·tial/ (po-ten´shal)

1. existing and ready for action, but not active.

2. the work per unit charge necessary to move a charged body in an electric field from a reference point to another point, measured in volts.

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action potential  (AP) the electrical activity developed in a muscle or nerve cell during activity.

after-potential  afterpotential.

electric potential , electrical potential potential (2).

evoked potential  (EP) the electrical signal recorded from a sensory receptor, nerve, muscle, or area of the central nervous system that has been stimulated, usually by electricity.

membrane potential  the electric potential existing on the two sides of a membrane or across the cell wall.

resting potential  the potential difference across the membrane of a normal cell at rest.

spike potential  the initial, very large change in potential of an excitable cell membrane during excitation.

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electric potential,

the potential difference between charged particles. See also potential.