What is the difference between an electron volt and a regular household current volt?

Question

I read some articles and they use the term "electron volt" and I read other articles that simply use the term "volt" Is there a difference and if so, what is it?

Thank You

OK, I have 2 degrees in electronics, and I'm nowhere near as stupid as George Bush looks.

I understand ohms law- how many of you know what a "moh" is? Few if any!

All I wanted to know was the difference between an electron volt, and "regular voltage"- the same kind of voltage that you would find in a regular CELL (not battery! For a battery is a system of CELLS)

Lets just keep this simple, people, ok?

For those of you who think I'm old- you're right. I just turned 45 and its been almost 27 years since I got my last degree. I consider it a major accomplishment when I can find my coffee cup, much less some detailed explaination I knew decades ago- Hell even my text books don't make good door stoppers!.

However, Veachs "Transistor Theory" first edition is being used to prop up my flat screen TV for better viewing

Answer 1

To quote one of the other users first.

"An electron volt is a measure of energy. An electron volt is the kinetic energy gained by an electron passing through a potential difference of one volt. A ("household") volt is not a measure of energy. It is a potential."

I would like to add a couple things to her answer to make it totally correct.

The electron has to be "unbound". This means that it is not orbiting a nucleus but instead is flying free waiting to fill a gap.

The second note is that the electron must be in a vacuum in order to generate a true electron volt. Without the vacuum it can't create its maximum potential.

Now that the clarifications are out of the way, I would like to hopefully explain the difference a little clearer. The difference between eV (electronvolt) and V (volt) is that eV's are a measure of kinetic energy. This means that it only has energy due to its movement through an electrostatic field (think electromagnets on a much much smaller scale). Now your common household voltage is a measure of potential energy. This provides a definition for the amount of voltage that could pass through that area if the path was completed.

For one final though for those not familiar with electrical terms (and who may view this question later as reference), here is a great visual. Think of a pipe with a valve in the middle and water trying to flow through the pipe. The width of the pipe is what would be defined as the voltage, this determines the amount of water that would flow if the valve was open. The pressure or speed of the water represents the current, the driving force of the water flow. Finally the valve would represent a resistor which can restrict how much and how fast the water flows.

I hope this helps!

Answer 2

Electron volts is really, in simple terms, the speed of an electron. For all sorts of complex reasons this is the same unit as the volt being like the 12V battery in your auto etc. If in your battery there was only one electron about to be released it would speed along at 12 electron volts.

While current is nearly at the speed of light electron drift speed is often below walking pace. This is because almost the instant an electron enters the cable another is displaced at the far end.

Oh! you had two questions a mho is a siemen. That is a unit of conductivity. Ohms divided into one.

Answer 3

Well to start off with, If you know that much about his subject then why ask this question cause you already know the answer lol.
second is If you would only understand what you read and see and know then you would also know to put you glasses on and George would not be as ugly as you think. I wonder sometimes how you got as far as you have and not understand anything you have seen or learned.
Ohhh your remark about George kinda made me mad I am sorry for the flaming. An electron Volt is a Volt all the same.

Answer 4

A unit of energy equal to the energy acquired by an electron falling through a potential difference of one volt, approximately 1.602 × 10-19 joules.
The International System unit of electric potential and electromotive force, equal to the difference of electric potential between two points on a conducting wire carrying a constant current of one ampere when the power dissipated between the points is one watt

Answer 5

Volts has nothing to with current (Well it has something to do with it, but it is not a unit for current, ampère is.) Volts is a unit used for voltage, or potential with a better word.
Electron volts is a unit given to the charge (Or a small amount of energy in other words) of an individual electron. It's useful in theoretical physics, because expressing the charge of a single electron in common energy units such as Joules or Calories would give a very, very small number.
1 eV = 1.6*10^−19 J (About)

Answer 6

An electron volt is a measure of energy. An electron volt is the kinetic energy gained by an electron passing through a potential difference of one volt.
A ("household") volt is not a measure of energy. It is a potential.

Answer 7

1 electron volt=1.6X 10 to the power-19 volts. The difference is that volt, as u might know, is a unit of P.D. But electron volt is a special quantity of volt - the amount of P.D. present on an electron.

Answer 8

electric potential is measured in volts.
an electron that is accelerated by an electric potential of one volt will acquire energy to one electron volt (eV). A more fundamental unit of energy is the joule (J). One eV is equivalent to 1.6 X 10 to the -19 J.

Answer 9

One volt is the potential difference required to drive a current of one amp through a resistance of one ohm. Voltage is actually Joules per Coulomb. The Coulomb is a measurement of charge. The amp. is a measurement of movement of charge in Coulombs per second which is why we get Watts (Joules per second) when we multiply current in amps by voltage.

The electron volt is a unit of energy. It is the amount of energy required to move one electron through one volt of potential difference.
1eV = 1.6 x 10^(-19) Joules

Answer 10

first off, you are mangling your terms. There is no such thing as a 'household current volt'. Current and voltage are two completly different things.

however, a volt by any other name is still a volt.

volt = current * resistance

***** Ohm's Law *****

Ohm's Law defines the relationships between (P) power, (E) voltage, (I) current, and (R) resistance. One ohm is the resistance value through which one volt will maintain a current of one ampere.

( I ) Current is what flows on a wire or conductor like water flowing down a river. Current is measured in (A) amperes or amps.

( E ) Voltage is the difference in electrical potential between two points in a circuit and is measured in (V) volts.

( R ) Resistance determines how much current will flow through a component and is measured in ohms.

P.S. voltage dosn't kill, current does