What term describes the difference in electrical potential energy between two points?

What term describes the difference in electrical potential energy between two points?

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

Answer: (A)

Voltage describes the difference in electrical potential energy between two points. Think of each charge having potential energy depending on its position in an electric field. When there’s a difference in potential between two points, charges experience a push that can drive them from one point to the other. This push is what we call voltage (also known as potential difference). The unit is the volt, which equals one joule per coulomb of charge. In circuits, this potential difference across a component provides the energy that moves charges and powers the device. The other terms describe different things: current is the rate of charge flow, resistance is how much a material opposes that flow, and power is the rate at which energy is transferred. So the term for the difference in potential energy between two points is voltage.

Voltage describes the difference in electrical potential energy between two points. Think of each charge having potential energy depending on its position in an electric field. When there’s a difference in potential between two points, charges experience a push that can drive them from one point to the other. This push is what we call voltage (also known as potential difference). The unit is the volt, which equals one joule per coulomb of charge. In circuits, this potential difference across a component provides the energy that moves charges and powers the device. The other terms describe different things: current is the rate of charge flow, resistance is how much a material opposes that flow, and power is the rate at which energy is transferred. So the term for the difference in potential energy between two points is voltage.