potential difference

This term is a precise technical expression used in physics and electrical engineering. While it is often used interchangeably with the word "voltage" in casual or introductory contexts, "potential difference" is the preferred term in formal scientific writing to emphasize that the measurement is relative between two specific points rather than an absolute value.

Because it describes a physical quantity, it is treated as an uncountable noun. It does not have a plural form in standard technical usage; one refers to "the potential difference" or "potential differences" only when discussing multiple distinct measurements or scenarios, though the concept itself remains a mass noun.