Potential generally refers to a currently unrealized ability . The term is used in a wide variety of fields, from physics to the social sciences to indicate things that are in a state where they are able to change in ways ranging from the simple release of energy by objects to the realization of abilities in people.
5-578: An underachiever is a person who fails to achieve their potential or does not do as well as expected by their peers . Of particular interest is academic underachievement . Studies of individuals who have not realized their apparent potential have identified learning disabilities , ADHD , and many other educational problems, and subsequently enabled methods of addressing these problems. Gifted students can also be at risk for underachievement . Current theories among academic scholars prefer to address underperformance problems with remedial help. The term
10-425: A pair of closely connected principles which he used to analyze motion , causality , ethics , and physiology in his Physics , Metaphysics , Nicomachean Ethics , and De Anima , which is about the human psyche . That which is potential can theoretically be made actual by taking the right action; for example, a boulder on the edge of a cliff has potential to fall that could be actualized by pushing it over
15-742: Is also used more generally; for example, a sports team that contains many star players but still loses games against teams with relatively little obvious talent might be termed underachieving. A stock which achieves poor profit and/or capital gains despite sound underlying business and/or assets may be called underachieving. This article relating to education is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Potential The philosopher Aristotle incorporated this concept into his theory of potentiality and actuality (in Greek, dynamis and energeia ), translated into Latin as potentia and actualitas (earlier also possibilitas and efficacia ).
20-693: The Coulomb potential , the van der Waals potential , the Lennard-Jones potential and the Yukawa potential . In electrochemistry there are Galvani potential , Volta potential , electrode potential , and standard electrode potential . In the thermodynamics , the term potential often refers to thermodynamic potential . “Potential” comes from the Latin word potentialis , from potentia = might, force, power, and hence ability, faculty, capacity, authority, influence. From
25-431: The edge. In physics, a potential may refer to the scalar potential or to the vector potential . In either case, it is a field defined in space, from which many important physical properties may be derived. Leading examples are the gravitational potential and the electric potential , from which the motion of gravitating or electrically charged bodies may be obtained. Specific forces have associated potentials, including
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