Which quantity is defined as the potential difference between two points?

Which quantity is defined as the potential difference between two points?

• A. Voltage
• B. Current
• C. Resistance
• D. Power

Answer: (A)

Voltage is defined as the potential difference between two points. It represents the energy per unit charge that would be transferred as a positive test charge moves from one point to the other. This potential difference is what pushes charges through a circuit when a path exists, driving current. The volt is the unit, equal to one joule per coulomb. For example, a battery establishes a voltage between its terminals, such as 12 volts, meaning 12 joules of energy are available to move each coulomb of charge from one terminal to the other. Current is the actual flow of charge, resistance is how much a component opposes that flow, and power is the rate of energy transfer, given by P = V I.

Voltage is defined as the potential difference between two points. It represents the energy per unit charge that would be transferred as a positive test charge moves from one point to the other. This potential difference is what pushes charges through a circuit when a path exists, driving current. The volt is the unit, equal to one joule per coulomb. For example, a battery establishes a voltage between its terminals, such as 12 volts, meaning 12 joules of energy are available to move each coulomb of charge from one terminal to the other. Current is the actual flow of charge, resistance is how much a component opposes that flow, and power is the rate of energy transfer, given by P = V I.