potential gradient

noun

Electricity.

1. the rate of change of potential with respect to distance in the direction of greatest change.

Word History and Origins

Origin of potential gradient¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

This is known as the potential gradient, and it is important in predicting the weather and understanding the chemical composition of the air.

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They found that the densest swarms could magnify the local potential gradient to 10 times as much as its initial value.

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While doing this, Dr. Hunting noticed that, when the insects swarmed, there was a “profound effect” on the atmosphere’s potential gradient.

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Thus, for instance, ordinary sheet glass cannot be safely employed with a greater electric force than is represented by 20,000 volts for one-tenth of an inch in thickness, or, say, a potential gradient of 160,000 volts per centimetre.

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Hence the absolute velocities of the two ions can be determined, and we can calculate the actual speed with which a certain ion moves through a given liquid under the action of a given potential gradient or electromotive force.

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