Increasing the resistance, comparable to decreasing the pipe size in the water circuit, will proportionately decrease the current, or water flow in the water circuit, which is driven through the circuit by the voltage, which is comparable to the hydraulic pressure in a water circuit. Voltage is an expression of the available energy per unit charge which drives the electric current around a closed circuit in a direct current (DC) electrical circuit. Current is proportional to the diameter of the pipe or the amount of water flowing at that pressure. Ohms (R) is a measure of resistance and is analogous to the water pipe size. Refer to the image below to visualize how voltage and electric current works.Ĭurrent (I) is a rate of flow and is measured in amps (A). This is known as the 'water-flow analogy', which is sometimes used to explain electric circuits by comparing them with a closed system of water-filled pipes, or 'water circuit', that is pressurized by a pump. The characteristics of voltage are like that of water flowing through pipes. 'Voltage' (V) is the potential for energy to move and is analogous to water pressure. Volts can be expressed in to SI base units thusly: 1 V = 1 kg times m 2 times s -3 times A -1 (kilogram meter squared per second cubed per ampere), or. What is a volt?Ī 'volt' is a unit of electric potential, also known as electromotive force, and represents 'the potential difference between two points of a conducting wire carrying a constant current of 1 ampere, when the power dissipated between these points is equal to 1 watt.' Stated another way, a potential of one volt appears across a resistance of one ohm when a current of one ampere flows through that resistance. Please contact the website administrator if you believe information you see on this page is inaccurate so that we address any issue(s) in a timely manner.

References and links are included for each defined term which refer to information provided by BIPM. The definitions on this page are adopted from the official definitions which can be found in BIPM's International System of Units, or SI.

The French organization is called Bureau International des Poids et Mesures, or BIPM, translated to English as International Bureau of Weights and Measures. Standard units of measurement are established by the official organization that is tasked with the standardization of international weights and measurements, ensuring that the entire world uses the same standards of weight and measurement.

Power volt