what is voltage?

Answer 1

Voltage is the build-up of electrons, which creates electrical pressure (since electrons repel against each other). My high school physics teacher frequently used the analogy of a water hose to describe electricity and it usually worked for me.

So if you have pressure in a garden (such as a cink or a clog) the water that's in there is under pressure until there is a way for it to spread out. Voltage is the measure of how crowded the electrons (water molecules) are and how desperate they are to break free from each other.

For instance, if too much water pressure builds up in the hose, it will punch a hole or "spring a leak" in the weakest part of the hose's molecular structure. The same thing can be applied to electrical pressure. Once there is a weak enough area of resistance against the electrons, they can move to that area.

A significantly low-resistive area is commonly referred to as a "conductive" material. A copper wire for instance, is of an element that is known as one of the best electrical conductors because it is composed of atoms that have very few electrons in its outer-most shell (shells are orbits that elctrons can take around an atom's nucleus -- that's all I'll say about that, since this answer is long enough as it is). Since there is so much room for more electrons, electrons that are under pressure can move into that shell; and if that shell gets too crowded, it will look for another vacant shell and jump if it is close enough (the higher the voltage; the further an electron is willing to jump (if the voltage overpowers the resistance and pushes the electron(s) through it)).

And when these copper atoms are in wire form, they become a chain of stepping stones that when linked to a wider, more massive conductor, creates a direct link from a negatively charged material to a positively charged material. This how a battery operates.

Obviously, as voltage (pressure) is giving a release valve, it will decrease, converting the potential energy (voltage) into kinetic energy (current).

Sorry if this answer was more than you were looking for, but hopefully it was helpful.

Answer 2

Simply put, voltage is the pressure in an electric current. Ohms is the resistance to the flow and amps is the amount.
Perhaps you have seen photographs of people touching a round electrical device called a "Van deGraf" generator with their hair flying in all directions. This has a very high voltage output and very low amperage.
Perhaps you have touched the spark plug of a running lawnmower or an older gasoline engine with a point and coil system. These put out 12 to 15 thousand volts. They won't hurt you, but give out an unpleasant shock. Don't try this on a newer engines with distributorles ignition. You can be hurt by the amount of voltage with the amperage they put out. The volts don't get you, the amperage does.
A typical diesel truck or machine, has 12 volt batteries at a high amperage. These can hurt you. If you don't have an experienced person or training with electricity, LEAVE IT ALONE! The 120 volts and amperage in the typical U.S. house can kill you.

Answer 3

Voltage is the term utilized in engineering and daily existence. the main outstanding term for voltage is skill at a element. Voltage difference or voltage drop is the version in skill between 2 factors. subsequently use the term skill as a substitute of voltage, and skills difference as a substitute of voltage drop. Now you will understand each and every element. =================================== concerning Ohm's regulation, until at last one is familiar with the techniques, notice that skill difference is the reason of present day and present day is the consequence of skill difference. evaluate the two ends of a resistance, A and B. the aptitude at A (voltage of A) is 12 V and that at B (voltage of B) is likewise 12V. the aptitude difference is 0. subsequently there is not any present day in the process the resistance. evaluate now that the aptitude of B is 10V. the aptitude difference is 12- 10 = 2V. we are saying that the voltage drop from A to B is 2V, (i.e., the aptitude difference is 2V} If the resistance is two Ohm, then as according to Ohm's regulation the present would be 1A. evaluate now that the aptitude of B is 6V. The voltage drop (skill difference is 12 -6 = 6V. notice that the voltage of B is 6V and additionally the voltage drop in the time of AB is likewise 6V. yet they're different. Now the present in the process the resistance is 6/2 = 3A. present day is rapidly proportional to the voltage drop. (to no longer the voltage) ======================================... in most of the calculations we are in touch basically with the voltage drop and not the definitely voltage. subsequently it has advance right into a custom (in spite of the undeniable fact that it is no longer maximum outstanding) to synonymously use the words voltage and voltage drop. ======================================... feedback: you will discover interior the most of the solutions given above, the term voltage is used. the common answer is replace voltage by skill at a element if it referes skill at a element and replace it by voltage drop or by skill difference in the event that they refer drop of skill. ======================================...

Answer 4

You can think in voltage in the same way you think about the pressure in an hydraulic system. The water is the current, but the current stay stooped if you don´t have any force to push it. This force is the voltage!!!

Answer 5

Voltage is potential energy. The potential, or ability, to have current flow exists between two points, but no current will flow, potential will not be converted to kinetic, until a path from one point to the other is connected, like whatever circuit you are trying to power.

Answer 6

Voltage is the difference of electrical potential between two points of an electrical network

Answer 7

a potential difference between two electrodes. usually between
+ and -
an AC circuit has a potential difference which is usually measured between live and neutral or ground (which is considered to be 0 volts


a voltage can exist without a circuit.
a current only flows when a circuit is made

Answer 8

The problem with using Yahoo answers to get your homework done is that the quality of the answers that you receive is very variable. You will get the following:
a) Quite a few wrong answers.
b) Some jokey answers
c) Some badly explained, but right, answers.
d) an occasional useful answer.

Are you bright enough to know which is which ?

Answer 9

voltage is the difference between the electric potential between two points.
The difference in electric potential between two points can be defined as the change in potential energy of a unit +ve charge when taken from one point to the other.

Answer 10

Its the way they measure the amount of electrical current running
through the line. They say it has 50 volts, then you will know
what size circuit breaker you need.