Volt

What Does Volt Mean?

A volt (V) is a unit of electrical potential or energy capacity. It is equal to the transmission of one joule (or unit of energy) per coulomb (or charge point). Voltage provides critical measurements for residential and commercial electrical systems in terms of the potential energy transmission of current.

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Techopedia Explains Volt

In the common type of alternating current found in residential and commercial systems, voltage tends to change continually. Engineers may use a measurement called the “root mean square” to show the average or standard voltage.

Tools used to measure voltage include a multimeter, which can measure two different points of the system. Voltage is used as a common measurement for different types of battery-connected and current-connected electrical systems. For example, in the range of 1 to 3 V for certain kinds of batteries and 100 or 120 V in residential systems. Some public transportation systems have much higher voltages of several hundred volts, which raises the safety and security standards for these systems.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…