In physics, a pair potential is a function that describes the potential energy of two interacting objects. Examples of pair potentials include the Coulomb's law in electrodynamics, Newton's law of universal gravitation in mechanics, the Lennard-Jones potential and the Morse potential.
Pair potentials are very common in physics; exceptions are very rare. An example of a potential energy function that is not a pair potential is the three-body Axilrod-Teller potential. Another example is the Stillinger-Weber potential for silicon which includes the angle in a triangle of silicon atoms as a parameter.
Famous quotes containing the words pair and/or potential:
“I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.”
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)
“There is a potential 4-6 percentage point net gain for the President [George Bush] by replacing Dan Quayle on the ticket with someone of neutral stature.”
—Mary Matalin, U.S. Republican political advisor, author, and James Carville b. 1946, U.S. Democratic political advisor, author. All’s Fair: Love, War, and Running for President, p. 205, Random House (1994)