potential functionn.

1828 G. Green Ess. on Applic. Math. Anal. to Electr. & Magnetism 1 Nearly all the attractive and repulsive forces..in nature are such, that if we consider any material point p, the effect, in a given direction, of all the forces acting upon that point, arising from any system of bodies S under consideration, will be expressed by a partial differential of a certain function of the co-ordinates which serve to define the point's position in space. The consideration of this function is of great importance in many inquiries... We shall often have occasion to speak of this function, and will therefore, for abridgement, call it the potential function arising from the system S.

1882 G. M. Minchin Uniplanar Kinematics 135 The function ϕ is called the potential-function of the strain, and the curves obtained by varying the constant in the equation ϕ = C are called curves of equal potential.

1931 Rev. Mod. Physics 3 288 He..used several forms for the potential function; one in which the potential depended only upon central force fields..and others in which the potential was also a function of the apex angle.

1939 L. Bairstow Appl. Aerodynamics (ed. 2) vii. 320 The boundary conditions to be satisfied are easily deduced; a solid boundary must be a stream-line and along it ψ must be constant or dψ/ds zero. In the case of the potential function the condition takes the form that the normal velocity, i.e. dϕ/dh must be zero.

1960 E. L. Houghton & A. E. Brock Aerodynamics xi. 267 The velocity potential and the stream function are combined in a new function called the complex potential function.

1993 New Scientist 10 July 26/2 In solving the equation for the potential function, Green had his deepest insight, one derived from his interest in physics. This was his introduction of what today are called Green's functions.