The definitions I've seen for these terms have either been technical to the point of obscurity or without proper context.
2007-09-17 08:03:55 · 9 answers · asked by jaylaverdure 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
There are already a couple of good answers here (and some others that are WAY off), but I'll see if I can help too.
Voltage is also called "electromotive force." Just think of that key word, "force." It's the force that drives an electric current through a circuit. It is also called "potential" because voltage is a measurement of potential energy.
A lot of times, it's helpful to compare electricity to water. Voltage would be like the water pressure, in PSI, in a garden hose.
Ampere is a measurement of current flow, the amount of electrons that are flowing through a given point in a circuit at any one time. If we compare electricity to water again, Amperes would be like the flow of water in Gallons-per-minute.
Ohms is a measurement of resistance. A higher Ohm rating means more resistance. You can think of resistance as like how narrow a water pipe is. A narrow or clogged water pipe will make it more difficult to pump water. It's kind of the same thing with electric current. Resistance is the opposition to a flow of electricity.
All these terms are used in Ohm's Law. Let's say you have a power supply with 12 volts. Ohm's Law states that Voltage divided by resistance = current. So let's say the circuit has a resistance of 2 Ohms. 12 volts divided by 2 Ohms = 6 Amperes. That will at least give a basic idea of how it fits together.
Watts is a measurement of the TOTAL available power, if we combine Voltage and Amperes. If we use water as an analogy again, you can think of Wattage as sort of like the work being done by a water turbine or wheel. It's the combined effect of the water pressure, and the water flow in GPM. Volts x Amperes = Watts.
This is a simplified explanation, and things get a little bit more complicated when you work with alternating current. But this is the basic idea.
2007-09-17 11:54:08 · answer #1 · answered by Diverging Point 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Watt is a term that is total power like horsepower, it can be most any combination of amps and volts, the product of the two is watts or horsepower.
Ohms is like a throttle or resistance to full flow, just like a gas pedal on your car, the more you press it the lower the ohms or resistance to flow.
Amperage is the flow.
Volts is the capability to flow.
Picture a large dam full of water. The height of the water would be the volts, the valve you have on the pipe coming out of the bottom would be ohms, the amount of water flowing out the pipe is amps.
Watts would be the amount of work you could get from that water like a generator.
They are all related.
V/A=O V*A=W O*A=V etc.....
2007-09-17 08:20:58 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Amperes Definition
2016-10-03 09:22:58 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
All are electrical terms.
Watt - a unit for Power typically with regards to electricity e.g 60Watt light bulb
Ohm - a unit for Electrical resistance, resistors in a circuit board are so many ohms.
Volts - 'Potential Difference' - difficult to explain refers to the amount of 'effort' required for a current to exist
Amp/Ampere - Refers to electrical current.
Best understood in a practical context e.g. an electrical circuit. The formula P=I x V
helps explain it, Power (watts) = Current (amps) multiplied by P.difference (Volts)
Electricity can be likened to water, Potential Difference is like Water pressure and Current like Flow rate.
2007-09-17 08:18:39 · answer #4 · answered by Dan 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
try this--basic why to look at it---ohms--is the amount of resistances-a wire can carry-the less resistance the more voltage or amp's--watts is the amount of heat a wire well have--like a toaster-the wires getting red hot--that is watts-amps is the power that on the wire--and volts is amount of electrons moving over a wire surface-is the --this is a very simple explanation--i hope it helps you--and no electronic engineers--have a heart attack after reading it--lol
2007-09-17 08:32:33 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Watt: Power, measured in joules/sec. One watt is one joule per second
Ohm: Resistance, the force stopping current flowing.
Amp: Current
Volt: Sorry, can't remember.
Volts, Amps and Ohms are linked with the formula V=I*R, where V is volts, I current (measured in Amps ), and R is resistance ( measured in Ohms )
2007-09-17 08:13:35 · answer #6 · answered by mash4t 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
After glancing over the other answers, I'm just laughing --way-- too hard to answer this.
Doug
2007-09-17 08:30:30 · answer #7 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
sorry, i must refer you to use your search engine (yahoo search will work) and ask the search objective correctly. much to busy to do that for you. have a nice evening or whatever.
2007-09-17 08:12:56 · answer #8 · answered by JIM 4 · 0⤊ 4⤋
um...ohm measures electric current...can't remember more...sry...!
2007-09-17 08:09:15 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋