Volt

claimed by tregister6

The Volt, commonly abbreviated to V, is the SI unit for electric potential and difference in electric potential. The volt is named after physicist Alessandro Volta, who arguably made the first chemical battery, The voltaic pile. A voltmeter is commonly used to experimentally obtain electric potential

The Main Idea

The Volt measures, in essence, is the SI measure of electric potential. Electric potential is a kind of potential energy (U) that describes the energy released if nothing was obstructing electric flow. For DC current, the only current discussed in class, voltage is extremely straightforward.

Definition

The formal definition of 1 volt is the difference in electric potential energy between two points on a conducting wire when the current of one amp dissipates one watt of power. A volt can also be the potential difference between two points that will impart one joule per coulomb of charge that moves through it. The units of 1 volt can have the following equivalent units: -Potential Energy/Charge -Nm/coulomb -(kg*M2)/(A*S3) -W/A -J/C

History

In 1800, Alessandro Volta developed the voltaic pile which is considered one the first chemical batteries. This battery created a constant electric current, and in order to measure this electric current Alessandro needed a way to measure it. It wasn’t until the 1880s before the volt was approved as the unit for electromotive force by the international electric congress, and they defined the volt as the same as it is today.

See also

Electric Potential DIfference in Electric Potential Voltmeter Battery

References

http://www.britannica.com/biography/Alessandro-Volta

BIPM SI Brochure: Appendix 1, p. 144