Voltage across each connection of resistance 10 20 and 30 v
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Home / Resistors / Potential Difference
Potential Difference
The voltage difference between any two points in a circuit is known as Potential Difference and it is this potential difference which makes current flow
Unlike current which flows around a closed electrical circuit in the form of electrical charge, potential difference does not move or flow it is applied.
The unit of potential difference generated between two points is called the Volt and is generally defined as being the potential difference dropped across a fixed resistance of one ohm with a current of one ampere flowing through it.
In other words, 1 Volt equals 1 Ampere times 1 Ohm, or commonly V = I*R.
Ohm’s Law states that for a linear circuit the current flowing through it is proportional to the potential difference across it so the greater the potential difference across any two points the bigger will be the current flowing through it.
For example, if the voltage at one side of a 10Ω resistor measures 8V and at the other side of the resistor it measures 5V, then the potential difference across the resistor would be 3V ( 8 – 5 ) causing a current of 0.3A to flow.
If however, the voltage on one side was increased from 8V to say 40V, the potential difference across the resistor would now be 40V – 5V = 35V causing a current of 3.5A to flow. The voltage at any point in a circuit is always measured with respect to a common point, generally 0V.
For electrical circuits, the earth or ground potential is usually taken to be at zero volts ( 0V ) and everything is referenced to that common point in a circuit. This is similar in theory to measuring height. We measure the height of hills in a similar way by saying that the sea level is at zero feet and then compare other points of the hill or mountain to that level.
In a very similar way we can call the common point in a circuit zero volts and give it the name of ground, zero volts or earth, then all other voltage points in the circuit are compared or referenced to that ground point. The use of a common ground or reference point in electrical schematic drawings allows the circuit to be drawn more simply as it is understood that all connections to this point have the same potential. For example:
Potential Difference
potential difference
As the units of measure for Potential Difference are volts, potential difference is mainly called voltage. Individual voltages connected in series can be added together to give us a “total voltage” sum of the circuit as seen in the resistors in series tutorial. Voltages across components that are connected in parallel will always be of the same value as seen in the resistors in parallel tutorial, for example.
For series connected voltages:
potential difference in series circuits
For parallel connected voltages:
potential difference in parallel circuits
Potential Difference Example No1
By using Ohm’s Law, the current flowing through a resistor can be calculated as follows:
Calculate the current flowing through a 100Ω resistor that has one of its terminals connected to 50 volts and the other terminal connected to 30 volts.
Voltage at terminal A is equal to 50v and the voltage at terminal B is equal to 30v. Therefore, the voltage across the resistor is given as:
VA = 50v, VB = 30v, therefore, VA – VB = 50 – 30 = 20v
The voltage across the resistor is 20v, then the current flowing through the resistor is given as:
I = VAB ÷ R = 20V ÷ 100Ω = 200mA
Voltage Divider Network
We know from the previous tutorials that by connecting together resistors in series across a potential difference we can produce a voltage divider circuit which will give the ratios of voltages across each resistor with respect to the supply voltage across the total combination.
This produces what is generally called a Voltage Divider Network and one which only applies to resistors connected together in series, because as we saw in the Resistors in Parallel tutorial, resistors connected together in parallel produce what is called a current divider network. Consider the series circuit below.
The circuit shows the principle of a voltage divider circuit where the output voltage drops across each resistor within the series chain, with resistors R1, R2, R3 and R4 being referenced to some common reference point (usually zero volt
