/ˈvoʊltɪdʒ/
noun … “Electrical potential difference between two points.”
Voltage is the measure of electric potential energy per unit charge between two points in a circuit. It represents the force that drives electric charges to move through a conductor, creating current. Voltage is fundamental to understanding and designing electrical and electronic systems.
Key characteristics of Voltage include:
- Unit: measured in volts (V).
- Polarity: has positive and negative terminals indicating direction of potential difference.
- Source types: can be supplied by batteries, generators, solar cells, or power supplies.
- AC vs DC: can alternate in direction (AC) or remain constant (DC).
- Relation to energy: energy delivered to a charge is the product of voltage and charge (E = V × Q).
Applications of Voltage include powering circuits, driving motors, charging batteries, and controlling electronic devices. Understanding voltage is essential for calculating current, resistance, and power in circuits.
Workflow example: Calculating current using Ohm's law:
resistor = 1000 -- Ohms
voltage = 5 -- Volts
current = voltage / resistor
print(current) -- 0.005 A
Here, voltage drives current through the resistor according to Ohm’s law.
Conceptually, Voltage is like water pressure in a pipe: it determines how strongly charges (or water) are pushed through the system.
See Current, Resistance, Power, AC, DC.