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They are very similar, but there is one key difference.

Both represent the change in energy (per unit charge) that a charged particle would experience if moving between two points.

The difference is that a potential difference usually refers to a static situation. In this case, if a charged particle moved from Point A and returned to Point A, the change in potential would be zero.

An EMF usually refers to a dynamic situation within a circuit -- ie, a looping conductor. In this case, a charge that went around such a circuit and ended up at its beginning point, would actually experience a change in energy.

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13y ago

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