Electric Potential Converter

Easily convert between different units of electric potential including volt, millivolt, kilovolt, statvolt, and other specialized electrical units.

Electric Potential Converter

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About Electric Potential Conversion

Electric potential, also known as voltage, is a scalar quantity that measures the amount of electric potential energy per unit charge at a point in an electric field. It represents the work needed to move a unit charge from a reference point to a specific point against an electric field.

Common Electric Potential Conversions

  • 1 volt (V) = 1,000 millivolts (mV)
  • 1 volt (V) = 1,000,000 microvolts (μV)
  • 1 kilovolt (kV) = 1,000 volts (V)
  • 1 megavolt (MV) = 1,000,000 volts (V)
  • 1 volt (V) = 0.00334 statvolt (statV)
  • 1 statvolt (statV) = 299.792458 volts (V)
  • 1 abvolt (abV) = 10-8 volt (V)
  • 1 volt (V) = 108 abvolts (abV)
  • 1 volt (V) = 1 joule per coulomb (J/C) = 1 watt per ampere (W/A)

Understanding Electric Potential

Electric potential (V) is defined as the electric potential energy (U) per unit charge (q):

V = U/q

The SI unit for electric potential is the volt (V), which is defined as a joule per coulomb (J/C). This means that one volt is the potential difference across which one joule of energy is required to move one coulomb of charge.

Electric potential is related to electric field (E) by the equation:

E = -∇V

Where ∇ (del) is the gradient operator. For a uniform electric field, this simplifies to:

E = -ΔV/d

Where ΔV is the potential difference and d is the distance.

Applications of Electric Potential

Understanding and measuring electric potential is important in many fields:

  • Electrical engineering (circuit design, power systems)
  • Electronics (component specifications, signal processing)
  • Power generation and distribution (voltage levels)
  • Electrophysiology (cell membrane potentials)
  • Electrochemistry (electrode potentials, batteries)
  • Semiconductor physics (p-n junctions, band diagrams)
  • Atmospheric science (lightning, atmospheric electricity)

Typical Values in Real-World Applications

  • Ultra-high voltage transmission lines: 1,000 kV (1 MV)
  • High-voltage transmission lines: 110-765 kV
  • Household mains voltage (US): 120 V
  • Household mains voltage (Europe): 230 V
  • Car battery: 12-13.8 V
  • AA/AAA battery: 1.5 V
  • USB power: 5 V
  • Nerve cell resting potential: -70 mV
  • Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals: 0.5-4 mV
  • Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals: 10-100 μV
  • Van de Graaff generator: up to 5 MV

Potential Difference vs. Electric Potential

It's important to distinguish between electric potential and potential difference (voltage):

  • Electric potential is the potential energy per unit charge at a point in space, relative to a reference point (usually at infinity or ground, where the potential is defined as zero).
  • Potential difference (voltage) is the difference in electric potential between two points and is what we typically measure in circuits.

However, in practical applications, the terms "voltage" and "electric potential" are often used interchangeably, and most measurements are of potential differences rather than absolute potentials.

Our electric potential converter provides accurate conversions between all these units, making it easy to translate between different measurement systems for engineering calculations, electronics design, and educational purposes.