possible vs potential

possible

adj
  • Able but not certain to happen; neither inevitable nor impossible. 

  • Capable of being done or achieved; feasible. 

  • Apparently valid, likely, plausible. 

  • Being considered, e.g. for a position. 

noun
  • A possible choice, notably someone being considered for a position. 

  • A particular event that may happen. 

  • A possible one. 

potential

adj
  • Existing in possibility, not in actuality. 

  • A potential flow is an irrotational flow. 

  • Referring to a verbal construction of form stating something is possible or probable. 

  • A potential field is an irrotational (static) field. 

noun
  • The gravitational potential: the radial (irrotational, static) component of a gravitational field, also known as the Newtonian potential or the gravitoelectric field. 

  • A verbal construction or form stating something is possible or probable. 

  • The work (energy) required to move a reference particle from a reference location to a specified location in the presence of a force field, for example to bring a unit positive electric charge from an infinite distance to a specified point against an electric field. 

  • Currently unrealized ability (with the most common adposition being to) 

How often have the words possible and potential occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )