Beatrice Lang
Electric potential, also known as electric field potential, potential drop, or electrostatic potential, is defined as the amount of work or energy needed to move a unit charge from a reference point to another specific point in an electric field. The volt (V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). The volt is named after Alessandro Volta and is defined as one joule per coulomb.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Unit of electric potential | Volt (V) |
| Unit of electric potential difference (voltage) | Volt (V) |
| Unit of electromotive force | Volt (V) |
| Symbol | V |
| Named after | Alessandro Volta |
| Definition | One volt is defined as the electric potential between two points of a conducting wire when an electric current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power between those points. |
| Other definitions | The amount of work/energy needed per unit of electric charge to move the charge from a reference point to a specific point in an electric field. |
| Electric potential at reference point | Zero units |
| Typical reference points | Earth or a point at infinity |
| Unit in terms of SI base units | V = {\frac = {\frac {kg\cdot m2\cdot s{-3}} = kg\cdot m2\cdot s{-3}\cdot {A^{-1}} |
| Unit in terms of SI base units | V = {\frac = {\frac {kg\cdot m2\cdot s{-2}}{A\cdot s} = kg\cdot m2\cdot s{-3}\cdot {A^{-1}} |
| Unit in terms of amperes and ohms | VA = Wb/s |
| Unit in terms of amperes and ohms | V = A\cdot \Omega |
| Unit in terms of power and current | V = W/A |
| Unit in terms of energy and charge | V = J/C |
| Unit in terms of electronvolts and elementary charge | V = eV/e |
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What You'll Learn
The volt (V) is the unit of electric potential
> V = (power/electric current) = (W/A) = (kg·m^2·s^-3)/A = (kg·m^2·s^-3·A^-1).
Equivalently, it is the potential difference between two points that will impart one joule of energy per coulomb of charge that passes through it. It can be expressed in terms of SI base units (m, kg, s, and A) as:
> V = (potential energy/charge) = (J/C) = (kg·m^2·s^-2)/(A·s) = (kg·m^2·s^-3·A^-1).
The volt is named after Alessandro Volta. As with every SI unit named after a person, its symbol starts with an upper-case letter (V). The volt was approved by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in 1881. They chose this unit because the cgs unit of voltage is inconveniently small, and one volt is approximately the emf of a Daniell cell, the standard source of voltage in the telegraph systems of the time.
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$113.01
Electric potential is the work done in moving a unit charge from one point to another
Electric potential is defined as the amount of work or energy needed per unit of electric charge to move the charge from a reference point to a specific point in an electric field. The reference point is typically Earth or a point at infinity, although any point can be used. The electric potential at the reference point is defined as zero units.
The electric potential is the work done in moving a unit charge from one point to another, which can be calculated by dividing the work done by the magnitude of the charge. This is the electrostatic potential of a charge. For example, the work done by an external force in bringing a unit positive charge from point A to point B is given by:
> V_B – V_A = (U_B – U_A) / q
Where VA and VB are the electrostatic potentials of the particle at points A and B, respectively, and UA and UB are the potential energies of the particle at points A and B.
The volt (V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). One volt is defined as the electric potential between two points of a conducting wire when an electric current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power between those points. It can also be defined as one joule per coulomb.
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The volt is defined as one joule per coulomb
The volt, denoted by the symbol V, is the International System of Units (SI) for electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force. The volt is defined as one joule per coulomb, which is the unit of electrostatic potential.
In 1861, Latimer Clark and Sir Charles Bright first coined the term "volt" for the unit of resistance. By 1873, the British Association for the Advancement of Science had formally defined the volt, along with the ohm and farad. The volt was then approved as the unit for electromotive force by the International Electrical Congress (now the International Electrotechnical Commission) in 1881. They defined the volt as approximately equal to the emf of a Daniell cell, the standard source of voltage in the telegraph systems of the time.
The volt is defined as the electric potential between two points of a conducting wire when an electric current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power between those points. It can be expressed in terms of SI base units (m, kg, s, and A) as:
> {\displaystyle {\text{V}}={\frac {\text{power}}{\text{electric current}}}={\frac {\text{W}}{\text{A}}}={\frac {{\text{kg}}{\cdot }{\text{m}}^{2}{\cdot }{\text{s}}^{-3}}{\text{A}}}={\text{kg}}{\cdot }{\text{m}}^{2}{\cdot }{\text{s}}^{-3}{\cdot }{{\text{A}}^{-1}}.}
The volt is also equivalent to the potential difference between two points that will impart one joule of energy per coulomb of charge that passes through it.
In the water-flow analogy, voltage (difference in electric potential) is likened to the difference in water pressure, while current is proportional to the amount of water flowing.
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The volt is named after Alessandro Volta
The volt, the unit of electric potential, is named after Alessandro Volta, an Italian chemist and physicist who was a pioneer of electricity and power. He is credited with inventing the first electric battery, the voltaic pile, in 1799, and he reported the results of his experiments in a two-part letter to the president of the Royal Society, which was published in 1800.
In his experiments, Volta connected two different metals in series with a frog's leg, which he realised served as both a conductor and a detector of electricity. He also understood that the frog's legs were not essential to the electric current, which was actually caused by the two differing metals. By replacing the frog's leg with brine-soaked paper, he detected the flow of electricity by other means. This discovery led to what is now known as Volta's Law of the Electrochemical Series.
In 1779, Volta became a professor of experimental physics at the University of Pavia, a position he held for almost 40 years. His lectures were so popular that Emperor Joseph II ordered the construction of a new "physical theatre", today known as the ""Aula Volta". The emperor also granted Volta substantial funding to purchase equipment for the physics cabinet.
In recognition of his contributions to the field of electricity, the volt was named after Volta in 1881. The volt is defined as the electric potential between two points of a conducting wire when an electric current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power between those points. It is denoted by the symbol V in the International System of Units (SI).
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Electric potential is also called electric field potential or potential drop
Electric potential, also called electric field potential, potential drop, or electrostatic potential, is defined as the amount of work or energy needed per unit of electric charge to move the charge from a reference point to a specific point in an electric field. The reference point is typically earth or a point at infinity, but any point can be used. The electric potential at the reference point is defined as zero units.
The volt (V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). The volt is named after Alessandro Volta. One volt is defined as the electric potential between two points of a conducting wire when an electric current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power between those points. It can be expressed in terms of SI base units (m, kg, s, and A) as:
> V = W/A = kg·m^2·s^-3·A^-1
The volt can also be expressed as amperes times ohms (current times resistance, or Ohm's law), webers per second (magnetic flux per time), watts per ampere (power per current), or joules per coulomb (energy per charge).
In some other (less common) systems of units, such as CGS-Gaussian, many of the equations for electric potential would be altered. Older units, such as the abvolt and the statvolt, are rarely used today.
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Frequently asked questions
The unit of electric potential is the volt (V).
The volt is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). One volt is defined as the electric potential between two points of a conducting wire when an electric current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power between those points.
The volt can be calculated by dividing the potential energy by the charge. It can be expressed in terms of SI base units as:
> V = W/A = kg·m^2·s^-3·A^-1
