Difference Between Voltage and Potential Difference (Voltage vs Potential Difference)

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Difference Between Voltage and Potential Difference (Voltage vs Potential Difference)

There is not much difference between the voltage and the potential difference. But we can describe the difference between them in the following ways.

The voltage is the amount of energy required to move a unit charge between two points whereas the potential difference is the difference between the higher potential of one point and the lower potential of the other point.

Due to point charge:

The voltage is the potential obtained at some point considering the other reference point at infinity. Whereas potential difference is the difference in potential between two points at finite distances from charge. Mathematically they can be expressed as,

  \begin{align*} Potential = V = \frac{Q}{4 \pi \epsilon_0 R} \end{align}

  \begin{align*} Potential \,\, Difference= V_1_2 = \frac{Q}{4 \pi \epsilon_0}(\frac{1}{R_1} - \frac{1}{R_2}) \end{align}

If you would prefer a video explanation of voltage, check out the video below:

What is a Common Voltage?

A common voltage is defined as the typical voltage level or rating of the electrical apparatus or equipment.

A list of common voltage for various electrical apparatus or equipment is listed below.

  • Lead-acid batteries used in electric vehicles:  12 Volts DC. 12 V battery consists of 6 cells with a common voltage of each cell is 2.1 V. Note that cells are connected in series to increase voltage rating.
  • Solar cells: Typically produce a voltage of around 0.5 Volts DC under open-circuit conditions. However, multiple solar cells are often connected in series to form solar panels, which can output a higher total voltage.
  • USB: 5 Volts DC.
  • High voltage electric power transmission line: 110 kV to 1200 kV AC.
  • High-speed train (traction) power lines: 12 kV and 50 kV AC or 0.75 kV and 3 kV DC.
  • TTL/CMOS power supply: 5 Volts.
  • A single-cell, rechargeable nickel-cadmium battery: 1.2 Volts.
  • Flashlight batteries: 1.5 Volts DC.

A common voltage supplied by the distribution company to residential consumers are:

  • 100 V, 1-phase AC in Japan
  • 120 V, 1-phase AC in America
  • 230 V, 1-phase AC in India, Australia

A common voltage supplied by the distribution company to industrial consumers are:

  • 200 V, 3-phase AC in Japan
  • 480 V, 3-phase AC in America
  • 415 V, 3-phase AC in India

Applications of Voltage

Some of the applications of voltage include:

  • One of the most common applications of the voltage is to determine the voltage drop across an electrical device or equipment such as a resistor.
  • The addition of Voltage is required to increase the voltage rating. Hence, cells are connected in series to increase voltage rating.
  • Voltage is the basic energy source of every piece of electrical and electronic equipment. From small voltages of (5 V) to high voltages (415 V) are used in various applications.
  • Low voltage is usually used for many electronics equipment and control applications.
  • High voltage is used for
    • For testing electrical equipment

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