Which quantity is defined as the difference in electrical potential between two points in a circuit?

Which quantity is defined as the difference in electrical potential between two points in a circuit?

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

Answer: (C)

Voltage is the difference in electrical potential between two points in a circuit. It’s the driving force that pushes charges from one point to another, like pressure pushing water through a hose. Measured in volts (V), voltage tells you how much energy per unit charge is available to move charges across a path. A battery creates this potential difference between its terminals, which drives current when a circuit is completed. By contrast, current is the flow of charges, resistance is how much a component opposes that flow, and power is the rate at which energy is transferred (voltage times current). Because it specifically describes the potential difference that motivates charge movement, voltage is the quantity defined by the difference in electrical potential between two points.

Voltage is the difference in electrical potential between two points in a circuit. It’s the driving force that pushes charges from one point to another, like pressure pushing water through a hose. Measured in volts (V), voltage tells you how much energy per unit charge is available to move charges across a path. A battery creates this potential difference between its terminals, which drives current when a circuit is completed. By contrast, current is the flow of charges, resistance is how much a component opposes that flow, and power is the rate at which energy is transferred (voltage times current). Because it specifically describes the potential difference that motivates charge movement, voltage is the quantity defined by the difference in electrical potential between two points.