Voltage Explained - What is Voltage? Basic electricity potential difference
Summary
TLDREl script del video de TheEngineeringMindset.com, presentado por Paul, explica el concepto de voltaje en detalle. Se describe cómo el voltaje es la fuerza que impulsa los electrones en un circuito, comparándolo con la presión en una tubería de agua. Se discuten las diferencias entre voltaje directo (DC) y voltaje alterno (AC), y cómo el voltaje varía alrededor del mundo. El script también cubre la medición de voltaje con un voltímetro, la importancia de Alessandro Volta en la creación de la batería y el uso de la unidad de voltaje. Además, se explora la razón por la cual los voltajes difieren en diferentes países debido a la falta de estandarización inicial en la distribución de electricidad.
Takeaways
- 🔋 La tensión es lo que impulsa los electrones libres en un circuito, sin ella, los electrones se mueven de manera aleatoria y no son útiles.
- 💧 Se puede comparar la tensión con la presión en una tubería de agua; más tensión significa más corriente.
- 🔌 La tensión puede existir sin corriente, como la presión en una tubería con una válvula cerrada.
- 🔗 La diferencia de potencial, o tensión, se refiere a cuánto trabajo puede potencialmente realizar un circuito.
- 🌐 La tensión en un circuito eléctrico se mide en voltios (V), y el símbolo V se utiliza para representarlo.
- 🔋 Un voltio es la cantidad de presión necesaria para empujar un coulomb de electrones a través de una resistencia de un ohm en un segundo.
- 🔌 La tensión y los voltios son diferentes; la tensión es la presión y el voltio es la unidad de medida.
- 📡 Se puede medir la tensión utilizando un voltímetro, que puede ser parte de un multímetro.
- 🌍 Las tensiones de las tomas eléctricas varían alrededor del mundo, con la mayoría utilizando 220 a 240 voltios y algunas regiones 110 a 127 voltios.
- ⚙️ La tensión de la corriente alterna (CA) es diferente a la de la corriente directa (CD); en la CA, los electrones fluctúan entre moverse hacia adelante y hacia atrás.
- 🔄 La razón de las diferentes tensiones en el mundo se debe a la falta de estandarización al principio del uso de la electricidad, lo que llevó a diferentes estándares en diferentes regiones.
Q & A
¿Qué es la tensión eléctrica y cómo se relaciona con la diferencia de potencial?
-La tensión eléctrica es la fuerza que impulsa los electrones libres en un circuito. La diferencia de potencial, a veces referida como tensión, indica cuánto trabajo puede potencialmente realizar un circuito. Es la diferencia en energía entre dos puntos en un circuito que permite que los electrones fluyan y hagan trabajo.
¿Cómo medimos la tensión y cuál es su unidad de medida?
-La tensión se mide con un voltímetro, que puede ser un dispositivo separado o parte de un multímetro. La unidad de medida de la tensión es el voltio, representado con la letra mayúscula V.
¿Por qué la tensión puede existir sin corriente?
-La tensión puede existir sin corriente porque es la presión que impulsa los electrones, pero la corriente ocurre solo cuando hay un camino cerrado para que los electrones fluyan en una dirección específica.
¿Cómo se relaciona la tensión con el agua en un conducto y la presión?
-La tensión se puede comparar con la presión en un conducto de agua. Un depósito lleno de agua ejerce más presión en el final del conducto que uno parcialmente lleno. Al abrir una válvula, el agua fluirá más rápidamente desde el depósito de alta presión que desde uno de baja presión, similar a cómo la mayor tensión en un circuito permite que más corriente fluya.
¿Qué sucede cuando conectamos una batería en serie en un circuito?
-Al conectar una batería en serie en un circuito, se incrementa la diferencia de potencial total, lo que aumenta la presión o energía para que los electrones fluyan, haciendo que los componentes eléctricos como una lámpara brillen más.
¿Qué ocurre si conectamos una batería en paralelo en un circuito?
-Conectar una batería en paralelo en un circuito divide la carga del trabajo entre las baterías, lo que significa que no se incrementa la tensión, pero la luz se mantiene encendida por más tiempo, aunque con menor brillo.
¿Por qué las voltios varían en diferentes partes del mundo?
-Las diferencias en las voltios alrededor del mundo se deben a que, al principio, no había estandarización y cada red de distribución tenía su propia tensión y frecuencia. Con el tiempo, algunas compañías se expandieron y estandarizaron sus productos y servicios, y los gobiernos establecieron leyes y regulaciones para facilitar el comercio y la facilidad de uso de los productos.
¿Cómo se representa gráficamente la corriente de voltaje directo (DC) y por qué?
-La corriente de voltaje directo se representa con una línea recta cuando se traza el voltaje en función del tiempo porque es constante y fluye en una sola dirección, similar al flujo de agua en un río.
¿Cómo se representa gráficamente la corriente de voltaje alterno (CA) y por qué?
-La corriente de voltaje alterno se representa con una onda sinusoidal cuando se traza el voltaje en función del tiempo, reflejando cómo la corriente aumenta hasta un máximo, disminuye hasta cero, fluye en dirección opuesta y luego vuelve a su dirección original, similar al flujo de marea del mar.
¿Qué es una fuente de voltaje directo y cómo se relaciona con el flujo de electrones?
-Una fuente de voltaje directo, como una batería, provee un voltaje que impulsa a los electrones en una corriente constante en una sola dirección, lo que es similar al flujo de agua constante en un río.
¿Cómo se relaciona el voltaje con la luminosidad de una lámpara y por qué?
-El voltaje está directamente relacionado con la luminosidad de una lámpara. Si el voltaje es más alto, más electrones fluyen a través de la lámpara, lo que la hace brillar más. Sin embargo, si el voltaje es demasiado alto, la lámpara puede quemar debido a la sobrecarga de electrones que intentan pasar a la vez.
Outlines
🔌 Concepto de Voltaje y Diferencia de Potencial
Este párrafo introduce el concepto de voltaje y diferencia de potencial en circuitos eléctricos. Se compara el voltaje con la presión en una tubería de agua, destacando cómo una mayor presión resulta en un mayor flujo de agua, similar a cómo un mayor voltaje permite un mayor flujo de corriente. Se menciona que el voltaje puede existir sin corriente, como cuando se mide la presión en una tubería con una válvula cerrada. Además, se describe cómo la diferencia de potencial, o voltaje, indica cuánto trabajo puede realizar potencialmente un circuito. Se utiliza la analogía de dos lagos a diferentes alturas para explicar cómo la diferencia de nivel crea un potencial para realizar trabajo. Finalmente, se ilustra cómo la conexión en serie de baterías aumenta el voltaje y cómo la conexión en paralelo divide la carga entre ellas.
🔋 Medición del Voltaje y Aplicaciones
En este párrafo se discute cómo se mide el voltaje utilizando un voltímetro, que puede ser parte de un multímetro. Se menciona que el símbolo V se utiliza para representar el voltaje en voltios y se describe cómo se relaciona con la corriente y la resistencia para determinar el trabajo que puede realizar un circuito. Se explica que un voltio es la cantidad necesaria para empujar un coulomb de carga (aproximadamente 6 billones de electrones) a través de una resistencia de un ohmio en un segundo. Se da un ejemplo práctico de cómo la cantidad de corriente y voltaje necesarios para encender y mantener dos tipos de bombillas, y cómo un voltaje demasiado bajo o alto puede resultar en un rendimiento reducido o incluso en daño del dispositivo. Se contrasta el voltaje de baterías AA con otros tipos de baterías y se introduce el concepto de voltaje directo (DC) y voltaje alternado (AC), con ejemplos de cómo se representa gráficamente y su aplicación en dispositivos domésticos y en la red eléctrica de muros.
🌐 Variaciones de Voltaje en el Mundo y Adaptabilidad de Equipos
Este párrafo explora las diferencias de voltaje en los sistemas eléctricos a nivel mundial y las razones históricas detrás de estas variaciones. Se menciona que la mayoría del mundo utiliza voltajes entre 220 y 240 volts, mientras que partes de América del Norte, Central y algunas del Sur, así como algunos países dispersos en todo el planeta, utilizan voltajes entre 110 y 127 volts. Se discute cómo los voltajes pueden variar ligeramente a lo largo del día debido a cambios en la demanda de la red eléctrica y cómo se puede medir esta variación utilizando un medidor de energía. Además, se menciona la problemática de la falta de estandarización al principio de la distribución eléctrica y cómo las compañías y gobiernos contribuyeron a la estandarización de voltajes y frecuencias. Se da un ejemplo de cómo los dispositivos eléctricos diseñados para voltajes diferentes pueden sufrir daños o no funcionar correctamente cuando se usan en países con voltajes incompatibles, y se sugiere verificar las especificaciones de los fabricantes para determinar si un producto es compatible con diferentes voltajes.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Voltage
💡Potential Difference
💡Direct Current (DC)
💡Alternating Current (AC)
💡Volts
💡Voltage Measurement
💡Coulomb
💡Ohm's Law
💡Series and Parallel Circuits
💡Electrical Appliance Ratings
💡Voltage Variation Worldwide
Highlights
Voltage is what pushes free electrons around a circuit, enabling current flow in a specific direction.
Voltage can be compared to pressure in a water pipe, where higher voltage results in more current flow.
Voltage can exist without current, similar to measuring water pressure with a closed valve.
Potential difference, or voltage, represents the work that can potentially be done by a circuit.
A battery has a potential difference of 1.5 volts between its terminals, which can be used to do work.
Connecting batteries in series increases voltage, boosting the pushing force for electrons.
Connecting batteries in parallel splits the electron path, maintaining voltage but sharing workload.
Voltage is measured in volts, symbolized by a capital V, and indicates the designed voltage for electrical appliances.
Alessandro Volta, who invented the first electrical battery, is the namesake of the volt unit.
Voltage is the pressure that drives electron flow, while volts are the unit of measurement.
A voltmeter or multimeter can be used to measure voltage in a circuit.
One volt is defined as the potential to drive one coulomb of electrons through one ohm of resistance in one second.
Different voltages can affect the brightness of lamps, with higher voltages resulting in brighter light.
Direct voltage (DC) provides a constant current in one direction, like water flowing down a river.
Alternating voltage (AC) involves electrons flowing back and forth as the circuit's polarity changes.
Voltage standards vary worldwide, with most regions using 220-240V and some, like North America, using 110-127V.
The reason for different voltages globally stems from early distribution networks and lack of standardization.
Some devices can handle different voltages, indicated by the manufacturer's labels.
Transcripts
Hey, there, guys.
Paul here from TheEngineeringMindset.com.
In this video, we're going to be discussing voltage.
We'll learn what is voltage and potential difference,
how to measure voltage, the difference between direct
and alternating voltage as well as current,
and finally, we'll briefly look at why
and how voltages vary around the world.
In our last video, we learned that electricity is the flow
of free electrons between atoms.
Voltage is what pushes the free electrons around a circuit.
Without voltage, the free electrons will move around
between atoms but they move around randomly,
so they aren't much use to us.
It's only when we apply a voltage to a circuit
that the free electrons will all move in the same direction,
causing current.
It's easy to imagine voltage like pressure in a water pipe.
If we have a water tank completely filled with water,
then the mass of all that water is going
to cause a huge amount of pressure at the end of the pipe.
If we have a water tank that's only partly filled,
then there will be much less pressure in the pipe.
If we open the valve to let the water flow,
then more water will flow at a faster rate
from the high-pressure tank compared
to the low-pressure tank.
The same with electricity; the more voltage we have,
then the more current can flow.
Voltage can exist without current.
For example, we can measure the pressure in the pipe
with the valve shut with no water flowing,
and from this, we can tell that the pipe is pressurized.
What we're really measuring is the pressure difference
between what's inside the pipe compared
to the pressure outside.
The same thing if we have a battery connected
to a circuit with an open switch.
The voltage is still present, we can measure that,
and as soon as the switch closes,
it's going to push the free electrons around the circuit.
We sometimes hear voltage referred
to as potential difference.
This really means how much work can potentially be done
by a circuit.
Coming back to our water analogy,
if we have two lakes at the same level,
then there is no potential to do work
because the water isn't flowing,
but if we raise one lake higher than the other,
then this higher lake now has the potential
to flow down to the second one,
and if we give it a path, then it will flow.
If we place a turbine in its path,
then we can use its energy to power a light
or even an entire town.
Back to the electrical circuit,
this battery has a potential difference
of 1.5 volts between its negative and positive terminal.
If we connect a piece of wire
to both terminals of a battery,
then the pressure of the battery will force electrons
to flow all in the same direction, along the same path.
We can then place electrical components in the path
of these electrons to do work for us.
For example, if we place a lamp into the circuit,
then this will light up as the electrons flow through it.
If we then added another battery to the circuit in series,
then the electrons will effectively be boosted
by my second battery because they can only flow
along this path, and there is more energy being added.
This will combine the voltages so we get 3 volts.
More volts equals more pressure,
which means more pushing force.
That will mean more electrons will flow
and the lamp will glow brighter.
However, if we were to move the battery
and connect it in parallel, then the path
of the electron splits.
Some will flow to the first battery
and some will flow to the second battery,
therefore, the batteries will both provide the same amount
of energy, so the voltage isn't combined,
the voltage isn't boosted, and we only get 1.5 volts.
So, the workload is split by the batteries
and the lamp will be powered for longer,
but it will be dimmer.
We've covered this in much more detail
within our Electrical Circuit series.
Do check that out, links are in the video description below.
We measure the potential difference of voltage
with the units of volts, and we use the symbol
of a capital V to show this.
If you look on your electrical appliances,
you will see a number next to a capital V,
indicating how many volts the product is designed for.
In this example, the manufacturers
of this USB hard drive are telling us
that the device needs to be connected
to a five-volt DC, or direct current supply
and it needs one amp of current for the device to work.
The term volt comes from an Italian physicist
named Alessandro Volta, who invented the voltaic pile,
which was the first electrical battery
that could provide an electrical current
in a steady rate in a circuit.
Voltage and volts are different.
Remember, voltage is the pressure
and volts is just the units we use to measure it in.
The same as we know the pipe has pressure
but we use units to measure this pressure,
such as bar, PSI, kPa, et cetera.
As we saw earlier, we can measure volts with a voltmeter.
This can be separate or part of a multimeter.
If you don't have a multimeter yet,
you can pick one of these up really cheaply.
I highly encourage you to have one in your tool kit.
I will leave a link in the video description down below
for where to get one for a good price.
To measure voltage, we have to connect
to the circuit in parallel across the two points
we would like to know the voltage,
or potential difference, for.
So, for a single battery in a circuit,
then we measure 1.5 volts across the battery
and we also measure 1.5 volts across the lamp.
The battery is providing providing 1.5 volts to the lamp,
and the lamp uses 1.5 volts to produce light and heat.
In a two-lamp series circuit,
we measure 1.5 volts across the battery,
1.5 volts across the two lamps combined,
but 0.75 volts across the lamps individually.
The voltage, or potential, has been shared between the lamps
to both provide light and heat.
The lamps are dimmer because the voltage has been shared
or divided.
Again, we'll cover this in more detail
in our Electrical Circuits Tutorials.
So, we saw earlier that voltage and volts are different.
Voltage is pressure and volts is the unit of measurement.
So, what does one volt mean?
One volt is required to drive one coulomb,
or approximately 6 quintillion, 242 quadrillion electrons,
through a resistance of one ohm in one second.
That's still a little confusing,
so another way to explain this is that,
to power this 1.5-watt lamp
with a 1.5-volt battery would require one coulomb,
or 6 quintillion,242 quadrillion electrons,
to flow from the battery and through the lamp every second
for it to stay on.
To power this 0.3-watt lamp
with a 1.5-volt battery would require 0.2 coulombs,
approx 1 quintillion,872 quadrillion,600 trillion electrons
to flow from the battery and through the lamp every second
for it to stay on.
If we try to use a lower voltage, the lamp would turn on
but it decreases in brightness as the voltage decreases.
That's because there is less pressure
to force electrons through it.
Less electrons flowing, less light that can be produced.
The lamps are only rated for a certain voltage and current.
If we use a higher voltage,
then the lamp will become brighter
because more electrons are flowing through it,
but if we add too much voltage and current,
then the lamp will blow because too many electrons tried
to pass through at once.
If we look at some typical batteries,
we can see that this AA battery has a voltage of 1.5 volts,
and this one has a voltage of 9 volts.
These are sources of direct voltage,
meaning, the pressure it provides moves the electrons
in a constant current in one direction,
much like the flow of water down a river.
We cover this in our last video on electricity basics,
so do check that out if you haven't already.
Links are in the video description below.
Direct voltage is usually represented with a capital V,
with some dots above this and a small horizontal line.
You can see an example of this on the multimeter
for the setting we would need
in order to measure the voltage in a DC supply.
If we plotted this voltage against time,
it would produce a straight line because it is constant;
it is direct in one direction.
The voltage in our wall sockets is alternating voltage.
This is a different type of electricity.
In this type, the electrons alternate
between flowing forwards and backwards
because the polarity of the circuit is changing,
much like the tide of the sea.
If we plotted this voltage against time,
we would get a sine wave as it moves forwards
and rises to its maximum and then starts to decline.
It passes through zero, and now the current
is flowing backwards but it then hits its minimum
and reverses direction again.
This is usually represented with a capital V
with a wave line above it.
You can see that on the multimeter here, also,
for measuring AC voltage.
The voltage at these sockets varies depending on
where in the world we are.
The majority of the world uses 220 to 240 volts,
but North, Central, and some of South America,
as well as a few countries
scattered across the planet will use 110 to 127 volts.
We can measure the voltage at our sockets
and see that it actually changes slightly throughout the day
as the demand on electricity network varies,
and we can do that using one of these cheap energy meters.
Again, links in the video description down below.
If you want one of these,
you can pick them up fairly cheaply,
and they're a great device for your toolbox.
The reason for different voltages around the world
goes all the way back to the beginning,
when electricity first started being distributed.
At first, there was no standardization,
so each distribution network had it's own voltage
and frequency for whatever their engineers felt was best.
Eventually, over time, some companies grew
and dominated the market, and so voltage
and frequency standardized as their products
and services expanded.
Governments also had to step in and pass laws
and regulations to help standardize their countries
so that people could buy products easily
but also trade products with other countries.
This is still a problem to this day,
but it's pretty much too late to fix,
as everyone is now so reliant on their electrical devices
and we would need to replace or modify them all
to solve the problem.
For example, if we take a hair dryer from the U.S.,
which is rated at 110 volts,
and we plug it into a wall socket in Europe,
which has 220 volts, the hairdryer will burn out
at full power because there is just simply too much voltage,
or too much pressure, and the device just can't cope.
If we took a hair dryer from Europe
and plugged it into a U.S. socket,
it probably won't turn on, but if it does,
it's not going to be very strong; it's gonna be pretty weak
because there just isn't enough pressure for it to function.
Some products can be used in different voltages, though.
You need to check the manufacturer's labels on the product
to first see if the product has been designed
to cope with different voltages.
For example, this laptop charger shows
that it can be used on voltages between 100 and 240 volts,
whereas this charger is only rated
for 220 volts or 240 volts.
Okay, guys, that's it for this video,
but if you want to continue your learning
with your electrical engineering,
then check out these videos here
and I'll catch you there for the next lesson.
Leave your questions in the Comment section down below,
and don't forget to follow us on Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter, as well as TheEngineeringMindset.com.
Once again, thanks for watching.
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