VOLTAGE

DEFINITIONS AND
CHARATERISTICS
VOLTAGE (OR POTENTIAL VAB : ELECTRICAL ENERGY GAINED BY
DIFFERENCE) IS THE ENERGY A UNIT POSITIVE CHARGE WHEN IT
MOVES FROM B TO A
REQUIRED TO MOVE A UNIT
“POINT A IS AT POTENTIAL OF VAB
CHARGE THROUGH AN HIGHER THAN POINT B”
ELEMENT, MEASURED IN
POTENTIAL AT POINT A WITH RESPECT
VOLTS (V). TO POINT B IS VAB

TYPE
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF VOLTAGE, DC VOLTAGE AND AC
VOLTAGE. THE DC VOLTAGE (DIRECT CURRENT VOLTAGE)
ALWAYS HAS THE SAME POLARITY (POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE),
SUCH AS IN A BATTERY. THE AC VOLTAGE (ALTERNATING
CURRENT VOLTAGE) ALTERNATES BETWEEN POSITIVE AND
NEGATIVE.

RELATED MATHEMATICAL
EQUATION
VOLT CAN BE STATED IN SI BASE UNITS AS 1 V = 1 KG M2 S-3 A -1 (ONE-
KILOGRAM METER SQUARED PER SECOND CUBED PER AMPERE). AND
FINALLY, VOLT CAN BE STATED IN SI BASE UNITS AS 1 V = 1 KG M2 S-3 A -1
(ONE-KILOGRAM METER SQUARED PER SECOND CUBED PER AMPERE).

W IS ENERGY IN JOULES (J) AND Q IS CHARGE IN COULOMB

(C).

SI UNIT AND SYMBOL

RELATED LAW
KVL (KIRCHHOFF VOLTAGE LAW) EQUATION. V = VI + V2 + V3. APPLIED VOLTAGE = SUM OF ALL VOLTAGE DROPS.
OR. THE SOURCE VOLTAGE IS EQUAL TO THE SUM OF ALL VOLTAGE DROPS.

KIRCHHOFF’S VOLTAGE LAW STATES THAT THE ALGEBRAIC SUM OF THE POTENTIAL DIFFERENCES IN ANY LOOP
MUST BE EQUAL TO ZERO AS: ΣV = 0. SINCE THE TWO RESISTORS, R1 AND R2 ARE WIRED TOGETHER IN A SERIES
CONNECTION, THEY ARE BOTH PART OF THE SAME LOOP SO THE SAME CURRENT MUST FLOW THROUGH EACH
RESISTOR.
THUS THE VOLTAGE DROP ACROSS RESISTOR, R1 = I*R1 AND THE VOLTAGE DROP ACROSS RESISTOR, R2 = I*R2
- GIVING BY KVL:

WE CAN SEE THAT APPLYING KIRCHHOFF’S VOLTAGE LAW TO THIS SINGLE CLOSED LOOP PRODUCES THE
FORMULA FOR THE EQUIVALENT OR TOTAL RESISTANCE IN THE SERIES CIRCUIT AND WE CAN EXPAND ON
THIS TO FIND THE VALUES OF THE VOLTAGE DROPS AROUND THE LOOP.

PREPARED BY:
MOHAMAD ASHRAF BIN RAMLI - SX220003EEEHS04 MUHAMAD NOR SHAFIQ BIN MUSTAFA - SX220882EEEHS04

MOHD NADZIR BIN MOHAMAD NORDIN- SX220219EEEHS04 MUHAMAD ISMAIL BIN MAHAMAT - SX220220EEEHS04