Voltage (redirected from Difference in electrical potential)

voltage

The force, or pressure, of electricity. Also known as "potential." "Voltage drop" is the difference in voltage from one end of an electrical circuit to the other. For instructional purposes, voltage is often compared to water pressure. See voltage drop, volt-amps and current.

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voltage

an electromotive force or potential difference expressed in volts

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voltage [′vōl·tij]

(electricity)

Potential difference or electromotive force measured in volts.

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voltage

Of an electric circuit, the greatest root-mean-square difference of potential between any two conductors of the circuit.

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(electronics)

voltage - (Or "potential difference", "electro-motive force" (EMF)) A quantity measured as a signed difference between two points in an electrical circuit which, when divided by the resistance in Ohms between those points, gives the current flowing between those points in Amperes, according to Ohm's Law. Voltage is expressed as a signed number of Volts (V). The voltage gradient in Volts per metre is proportional to the force on a charge. Voltages are often given relative to "earth" or "ground" which is taken to be at zero Volts. A circuit's earth may or may not be electrically connected to the actual earth. The voltage between two points is also given by the charge present between those points in Coulombs divided by the capacitance in Farads. The capacitance in turn depends on the dielectric constant of the insulators present. Yet another law gives the voltage across a piece of circuit as its inductance in Henries multiplied by the rate of change of current flow through it in Amperes per second. A simple analogy likens voltage to the pressure of water in a pipe. Current is likened to the amount of water (charge) flowing per unit time.

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Voltage 

The voltage (U) between two points in an electric circuit or electric field is equal to the work done by the electric field in transferring a positive unit charge from one point to the other. In a conservative electric field, the work does not depend on the displacement path of the charge; in this case the voltage between the two points coincides with the potential difference between the points.

In a nonconservative field, voltage depends on the displacement path of the charge between the two points. Nonconservative forces are active within any source of direct current (generators, storage batteries, galvanic cells, and the like). The voltage across the terminals of a current source is always assumed to be the work done by the electric field in transferring a positive unit charge along a path that lies outside the source. In this case the voltage is equal to the potential difference between the terminals of the source and is defined by Ohm’s law U = IR – ℰ, where I is the current, R is the internal resistance of the source, and ℰ is the electromotive force (emf) of the source. Under open-circuit conditions (I = 0) the absolute value of the voltage is equal to the emf of the source. Therefore the emf of the source is often defined as the open-circuit voltage across the terminals of the source.

For alternating currents, voltage is usually characterized by its effective value, which is the root-mean-square voltage value of one period. The voltage across the terminals of an AC source or an inductance coil is measured by the work done by the electric field in transferring a positive unit charge along a path outside the source or the coil. A rotational (nonconservative) electric field is particularly nonexistent along the path, and the voltage is equal to the potential difference.

Voltage is usually measured with a voltmeter. The unit of voltage in the International System of Units is the volt.

REFERENCES

Tamm, I. E. Osnovy leorii elektrichestvo, 9th ed. Moscow, 1976. Chapters 3 and 6.
Kalashnikov, S. G. Elektrichestvo, 4th ed. (Obshchii kurs fiziki.) Moscow, 1977. Chapter 3,7, and 21.

G. IA. MIAKISHEV