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Volt

Electrical voltage (symbol U) is measured in volts (abbreviated as V). Put simply, voltage indicates how fast electrons move—that is, how much energy is required to move an electric charge within an electric field. A power outlet in Germany and Europe provides an output voltage of 230 volts of alternating current (AC). In the U.S., on the other hand, the voltage is typically only 120 volts. When it comes to electrical voltage, it is important to note that all electrical appliances can only be used with the specified operating voltage. If this is not observed, the lamp may be damaged if the voltage is too high, or it may not turn on at all if the voltage is too low. For this reason, transformers are used in lights that do not require the 230-volt voltage coming from the outlet to convert it to a different voltage. Furthermore, the voltage in volts also affects the power in watts and the current in amperes, since the formula is: watts = volts × amperes. These three quantities are thus interrelated in a certain way, and they can be used, for example, to calculate when a fuse will blow—which, of course, must be prevented.

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