Vogele Basic Training Hydraulics & Electrics

E.2.0 Units of measurement in electrics
E.2.5 Notes Electrical voltage
Electrical voltage is a physical unit of measurement that specifies how much work or energy is
necessary to move an object with a specific electric charge along an electric field. Voltage is thus
the specific energy of the charge. It is a field variable that can fluctuate by many orders of magnitude.
The following statements can be made about electrical voltage :
- Electrical voltage is the pressure or force on free electrons.
- Electrical voltage is the originator of electric current.
- Electrical voltage is generated by the attempts of electrical charges to balance.
The symbol for voltage is U,
which stems from the Latin „urgere“ (to push, to compel)
Units of measurement: MV (megavolt), kV (kilovolt), V (volt), mV (millivolt), µV (microvolt)
The Volt (V) is the basic SI unit (SI = International System of Units).
The volt is named after Alessandro Volta.