Could someone explain to me how to interpret the tension, intensity, and power of electric current? Thanks
In: Physics
**Intensity** is a related to the strength of the physical electrical field, and is expressed in N / Coulomb. So If you know the charge of a particle, and the intensity of the electrical field in its location, you can compute the force felt by that particle due to the field.
However, only physicists (mostly) like to work with fields. The equations are annoying, which is why most engineers use the **electric potential**, expressed in Volt, instead. The potential tells us how strong the difference in the electrical field between two points is, but is generally rather used by setting one point as a global standard (the ground), and measing the voltage in all other points relative to this first one.
The **electrical current** tells us how **many** charged particles pass through a point, and is expressed in Coulomb per second, or Ampère (both units are equivalent).
Together, these last two measurements tell us how much **power** is being transferred between our two points. Think of it like dropping a rock. If you drop the rock from the third floor, it will do more damage (have more power) than if you drop it from a table – that is the equivalent to a higher voltage difference between the points (the stuff experiences more force). It also makes sense that a boulder would do more damage than a small rock – that is the current difference (there is more stuff that experiences a force). The unit of electrical power is the Watt.
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