Primary
Voltage (∆V) ○◂｜Definition｜1st｜20251119205401-00-⌔
Voltage
Voltage, also known as (electrical) potential difference, electric pressure, or electric tension, is the difference in electric potential between two points.1 In a static electric field, it corresponds to the work needed per unit of charge to move a positive test charge from the first point to the second point. In the International System of Units (SI), the derived unit for voltage is the volt (V).234
The voltage between points can be caused by the build-up of electric charge (e.g., a capacitor), and from an electromotive force (e.g., electromagnetic induction in a generator).56 On a macroscopic scale, a potential difference can be caused by electrochemical processes (e.g., cells and batteries), the pressure-induced piezoelectric effect, photovoltaic effect, and the thermoelectric effect. Since voltage is the difference in electric potential, it is a physical scalar quantity.7
A voltmeter can be used to measure the voltage between two points in a system.8 Often a common reference potential such as the ground of the system is used as one of the points. In this case, voltage is often mentioned at a point without completely mentioning the other measurement point. A voltage can be associated with either a source of energy or the loss, dissipation, or storage of energy.
Printed 2026-06-28.
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Link to original Footnotes
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David B. Newell; Eite Tiesinga (August 2019). The International System of Units (SI) (PDF) (Report). National Institute of Standards and Technology. p. 31. Retrieved 2 January 2024. ↩
Holloway, Michael D.; Holloway, Emma (2020-12-09). Dictionary of Industrial Terminology. John Wiley & Sons. p. 1259. ISBN 978-1-119-36410-8. ↩
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Secondary
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