Electric Potential Difference The electric potential difference between points A and B, V B V A is defined to be the change in potential energy of a charge q moved from A to B, divided by the charge. Units of potential difference are joules per coulomb, given the name volt (V) after Alessandro Volta. (7.3.2) 1 V = 1 J / C Electric Potential Difference Formula Vxy= Vx - Vy = [Wx - Wy]/q SI Unit of Electrical Potential Difference The SI Unit of Electrical potential difference is the same as the electric potential, i.e, Voltage or Volts. Note: Why a unit charge is taken to explain the concept of Electric Potential? A small unit charge will have very small electric field which will neither affect not distort the field produced by the bigger charge and hence, the concept can be explained easily. Difference Between ... Electric potential (also called the electric field potential, potential drop, the electrostatic potential) is the difference in electric potential energy per unit of electric charge between two points in a static electric field. Learn about potential difference for your IGCSE Physics exam. This revision note includes information on how to measure and calculate potential difference .
