Equipotential synonyms

The presence, however, of apparatus or observers upsets the conditions, while above uneven ground or near a tree or a building the equipotential surfaces cease to be horizontal.

If the shape of the equipotential surfaces near it is influenced by trees, shrubs or grass, their influence will vary throughout the year.

Above the level plain of absolutely smooth surface, devoid of houses or vegetation, the equipotential surfaces under normal conditions would be strictly horizontal, and if we could determine the potential at one metre above the ground we should have a definite measure of the potential gradient at the earth's surface.

In an ordinary climate a building seems to be practically at the earth's potential; near its walls the equipotential surfaces are highly inclined, and near the ridges they may lie very close together.

This only means that the equipotential surfaces are crowded together, just as they are near the ridge of a house.