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Plain language definitions of electrical terms: definition of amps, volts, watts, resistance, current, ohms, electrical phases. We include basic formulas relating amps, volts, resistance, watts, and we explain what these electrical terms mean in practical applications such as for building or appliance electrical power, electrical wiring, and basic troubleshooting. Photographs and sketches in this article illustrate and help explain concepts and definitions of electrical voltage, electrical resistance, and other electrical wiring concepts. Also see Electrical Circuits, shorts, AC/DC. Definitions of related heating and cooling terms are at DEFINITION of Heating & Cooling Terms. Energy efficiency rating definitions (such as for air conditioners) are at SEER RATINGS & OTHER DEFINITIONS. Also see our Electric Power Frequency Table for a table showing the voltage and frequency for nearly every country in the world, provided courtesy of Paul Galow, Galow Consulting. Sketch courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates. Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman. How do we Define Electrical Amps, Volts (Current), Resistance (Ohms), Watts & Electrical Phase - clearing up some confusion about electrical termsIn most places in the world, electrical service brought to a building is at either of two voltage levels: 240V or 120V. These numbers are "nominal," meaning that the actual voltage may be vary. Most modern buildings receive 240V service, a total achieved by the provision of two individual 120V incoming power lines as we discuss below. Older buildings and electrical services often delivered only 120V. Knowing which voltage level is available is important, but knowing the voltage alone does not indicate the amount of electrical power available inside a building. For that we need to know both the service voltage at a building, and the service amperage (typically 100A or larger, but historically, 30A, 60A, 100A, 125A, and more recently 150A, or 200A depending on the power requirements at a building). Don't confuse service VOLTS (120/240 V) with service AMPS or WATTS - those terms are discussed next. Basic Formulas Relating Voltage, Current (Amps), & Resistance (Ohms or Ω ), WattsVoltage = Current x Resistance Current = Voltage / Resistance Resistance = Voltage / Current Watts = Volts x Amps What is the definition of Amps or Amperage?
Ampacity, in the electrical code, refers to the current, measured in amperes, that a conductor (a wire) can carry continuously under the conditions of use without exceeding its temperature rating - in other words, the ampacity of a #14 gauge copper wire intended for residential electrical wiring is 15 Amps because that's the amount of current that the wire can carry without getting too hot. "Too hot" means a temperature that could damage the wire insulation and thus reduce its safety. What is the definition of Volts or Voltage?Volt, formally, is defined as the potential difference across a conductor when a current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power. This definition is not very helpful to consumers. Using a water-in-pipes analogy, volts is analogous to water "pressure" in the electrical system. Having higher "pressure" in a pipe (or electrical conductor) means that conductor is capable of delivering more energy to the user. Later in this article we further explain electrical potential. Mathematically Volts = Watts / Amps. (Volts equals Watts divided by Amps).
Is "240V" really exactly 240 Volts?: Don't expect a "240V" circuit to provide that exact voltage level. We've already said that "120V" and "240V" are "nominal" ratings, meaning that the actual numbers may vary. In a three phase circuit, even if you are using only two phases, the voltage between the phases is 1.732 x 120 = 207.6, or approximately 207 Volts and not 240 Volts. In various countries the actual voltage level varies around the nominal delivered "voltage rating" and in fact depending on the quality of electrical power delivered on a particular service, voltage will also vary continuously around its actual rating. Most (but not all) modern electrical equipment can handle small voltage variations and differences without a problem. Sensitive electronic equipment may require that a voltage stabilizer be installed. For example a "240V" appliance can usually handle "208V" just fine.
What is the definition of Electrical Watts or Wattage?Watts is a measure of the amount of electricity being used - a rate of electrical power consumption. Most people use a very simple mathematical formula to determine how many watts an electrical circuit can carry or how many watts an electrical device will require:
This formula shows how Watts relates to Volts and Amps. You can rearrange this equation using simple algebra or you can re-write it using Ohm's law. (Ohms is a measure of electrical resistance, which also measures the heat that will be generated in a wire carrying a given current.)
Given those two equations just cited, we can also write:
which lets us also write Watts as
How do we calculate watts, volts, and amperage for an electrical device like an air conditioner?Watts (W) as used in a simplified manner here and by electricians, is a measure of electrical power and is expressed by any of the formulas shown below. [All forms of power are measured in units of Watts, W, but this unit is generally reserved for real power (see definitions further below.] W = V x I W = I2 x R W = V2 / R W = Watts, V = Volts, I = Current or Amperage or Amps and R = Resistance measured in Ohms Example: if we have a 50 watt light bulb running on a 120V circuit we can solve for the missing number, I or "Amps" 50 = 120 x I 50 / 120 = I 0.416 = I Our 50 watt light bulb is drawing .4 amps of current. Real Electrical Power: Accurate Energy Consumption using AC current and the Power FactorReader Michael V. points out that in the above watts, volts, amps calculations, these simplified formulas are for DC voltage. In AC electrical systems, V*I=VA not watts. Watts is W=V*I*PF where PF =powerfactor. At SEER RATINGS & OTHER DEFINITIONS we include additional examples of calculations of electrical usage by air conditioning equipment, including how we calculate watts, volts, and amperage for an electrical device like an air conditioner. Also see AMPS & VOLTS DETERMINATION "How to estimate the electrical service ampacity and voltage entering a building".
Reader Daniel Mann adds that "Watts is correctly shown as Watts-Voltage times Current times power factor. Since power factor varies all over the place,..." [W = V x I] "perpetuates misinformation". We include additional more technical explanation of power factor, real power, apparent power, complex power, and reactive power just below. Various sources offer further definitions of real power P, reactive power Q, complex power S, and apparent power |S|.
If pf - power factor - = 1, then 1 VA of apparent power transferred in a circuit will produce 1 W of real power. If pf = .5 then to produce 1 W of real power we would need to transfer 2 VA of apparent power. (1 W / .5 = 2). It is interesting that in an electrical circuit, a load that causes a low power factor will draw more current than a load with a high power factor for the same a mount of usable or useful power actually transferred. If an electrical circuit is drawing higher current, there is more energy loss, larger transmission wires are needed, and thus costs of both the circuit and its operation are increased. Electrical engineers may design equipment to include components that improve the power factor to thus lower its operating cost. Lots of electrical appliances include a label providing the appliance's wattage, and in the case of heating and air conditioning equipment, lots of other details are provided too. See SEER RATINGS & OTHER DEFINITIONS and also A/C DATA TAGS for an example. What is a Watt Hour or Wh?What's a WattHour? Watt hours (Wh), sometimes written W.h, can measure either electrical energy produced, say by a power station, or Watts can measure the amount of electrical energy consumed (say at a light bulb or an air conditioner in our home). For air conditioners, the A/C units' total Wh is the energy used in running the air conditioning system for an hour. If you turn on a 100-watt light bulb for an hour, you've used 100 Wh of energy. Or if you had a one-watt bulb and lit it for an hour, it'd use 1 Wh of energy. Thank James Watt (1736-1819), credited with developing a useable steam engine, for WATT which was named for him in 1882. Watts is an instantaneous measurement, not related to time. To factor in time, as the electrical utility wants to do in sending us an electrical bill, the electric company's meter calculates the number. of watt hours (actually kilowatt hours) of electricity we use. If we run our 50 watt bulb for one hour, we've used 50 watt-hours. That's all the electric utility cares about. How does a building receive 240V and 120V electrical power?
Electrical Definitions of Wires & Components Used to Bring Electricity to a BuildingWe list these common electrical terms roughly in the order that they are observed, from the electrical utility company's overhead wires and pole to the building receiving electrical power to its electrical panel, and in the panel to individual circuit breakers which provide power to and protect individual electrical circuits that distribute electrical power throughout a building. ELECTRICAL SERVICE DROP: the overhead electrical service conductors from the last electric utility pole (or other aerial support) to and including splices if any, connecting to the service entrance conductors at the building. These wires usually belong to and are the responsibility of the electric utility company. Service-Entrance Conductors, overhead system: the service conductors (wires) between the terminals of the service equipment (main electrical panel) and a point usually outside of the building, clear of building walls (usually the electrical masthead, visible in this sketch), where the wires are joined by tap or splice to the service drop (the wires from the utility company). These are the electrical wires coming down the building exterior from a mast-head connection point to the electrical meter, and continuing inside to the main electrical panel or service switch. These wires normally belong to and are the responsibility of the building owner. Service Conductors: wires connecting service point (such as the outside electric meter) to the main service disconnect (such as the main breaker in the main electrical panel). These are wires bringing electrical power from the electric meter into the electrical panel. Service Equipment: usually the circuit breaker(s) or switches and fuses used to connect to the load end of service conductors coming to the building. This is the main electrical switch, fuse, or breaker, usually in the main electrical panel but sometimes installed as a physically separate switch before the main electrical panel. Circuit Breaker: a device designed to open and close (turn off or on) an electrical circuit by non-automatic means (a physical toggle switch) and to open the circuit automatically (internal trip mechanism) on a predetermined overcurrent without damage to itself when properly applied within its rating. (That is, a 15A circuit breaker is expected to protect a 15A circuit, not something else). Branch circuit: is the conductors (electrical wires, hot, neutral, ground) between the final overcurrent device protecting the circuit (a circuit breaker or fuse in the electrical panel) and the outlet(s). A general purpose branch circuit is an electrical circuit that supplies two or more receptacles or outlets for lighting and appliances. In other words, the wires that bring power from the electrical panel to one or more points in the building where it will be used to power an light, power something plugged into an electrical outlet, or to an individual appliance. What is the definition of Alternating Current or ACAlternating current is almost universally used for home electric power and is, therefore, the kind this article is primarily concerned with. In an AC circuit, the amount of voltage applied to the circuit is constantly changing from zero to a maximum and back to zero in one direction and then from zero to maximum and back to zero in the other direction. The maximum voltage is set by the generating plant. Because voltage is the pressure that causes current to flow, the current will also change from zero to maximum to zero and will reverse direction and repeat. The maximum amount of current, however, is determined by the load resistance and can vary as the load resistance varies. Each complete change from zero to maximum to zero in one direction and then zero to maximum to zero in the opposite direction is called one hertz (formerly cycle). The term hertz implies "per second." So, 60 hertz means the same as 60 cycles per second. Hertz is abbreviated Hz. Cycles-per-second, which you will still see marked in some electrical devices, is abbreviated cps. See our Electric Power Frequency Table for a table showing the voltage and frequency for nearly every country in the world, provided courtesy of Paul Galow, Galow Consulting. What is the Definition of Direct Current or DCDirect current is most commonly found in homes in the form of electrical energy stored in batteries. In a DC circuit, the amount of voltage and the direction of application are constant. The amount of voltage is determined by the type and size of battery. The direction of current flow is also constant and, as in AC circuits, the amount of current flow is determined by the load resistance. Batteries convert chemical energy to electrical energy. The chemical energy can be in wet form, as in your car battery, or in dry form as in flashlight and transistor-radio batteries. Some batteries are designed to be recharged from an AC source. The voltage from all batteries, unless recharged, will gradually decrease. AC power can be converted to DC power for some uses in the home. The conversion is performed by a device called a rectifier or current converter. How many Watts can a typical household electrical circuit provide?15-Amp 120V electrical circuits: typical U.S. 120V household electrical circuit uses #14 gauge copper wire and is protected (and thus limited) by a 15-amp circuit breaker. Such a circuit can deliver about 350 watts of electrical power to devices plugged into it, and another roughly 10 watts is consumed by the resistance of the circuit and its devices (receptacles and switches). 20-Amp 120V electrical circuits: typical U.S. 120V 20A household circuits use #12 gauge copper wire and are protected and thus limited by a 20-Amp fuse or circuit-breaker. A 20-amp circuit can provide about 2400 Watts. But as some writers have pointed out, for safety, household circuits are intended to carry less current (about 20% less) than their theoretical maximum. 80% of 2400 Watts is 1920 watts - that's about what you should expect to obtain from such a circuit. How are we figuring these numbers? we use the formula from above, Watts = Volts x Amps and we plug in the nominal voltage and a guess at the resistance over the electrical circuit before we've plugged in anything: W = 120V x 15 Amps so W = 1800 for our 15-Amp electrical circuit. W = 120V x 20 Amps so
W = 2400 for our 20-Amp circuit. Example: If we have a 1500 Watt electric heater running on "high" and thus drawing a maximum of 1500 Watts, plugged into our 20-Amp circuit above, we've got another 420 Watts available on that circuit. So we could run maybe another four 100-watt lights on the same circuit. The real world is a little more complex; lots of devices draw more current when they're starting-up, especially air conditioners and refrigerators. The electrical engineer (during design) or electrician (during house wiring) choose a circuit breaker that can tolerate that temporary high current but that will trip off if high current continues to flow on the wire. What is the definition of Electrical Potential?
What is the definition of Electrical Resistance & what is Ohm's Law?
What is an electrical circuit?Electrical circuits, alternating current (AC), direct current (DC), short circuits, and other basics of electrical wiring are defined further in our series of articles on electricity for homeowners starting at Electrical Circuits, shorts. What are the Definitions of Electrical Ground, Grounding Electrode, Grounding Conductor, Grounded Conductor, Ground Wire, Neutral Wire, Ground Rod?How & Why It is Important to Assure Safe Electrical Grounding at a PropertyHome inspector Arlene Puentes summarizes distinctions important in understanding the function of electrical grounding at a building:
Electrical Grounding Terms & DefinitionsHere are some elementary electrical ground, grounding, and ground wire definitions to help us get our terms straight when discussing electrical grounds, grounding, and ground bonds Ground: means the physical earth, the soil or ground. In some countries the term earth is used and is synonymous with ground. In the electrical code, ground means an electrically conducting connection, intentional or accidental, between an electrical circuit and the earth. Grounded means that something has been electrically connected to the earth. Watch out: even among inspectors and electricians, people may use the term "ground" more loosely to refer to the equipment grounding conductor or other components. Grounding electrode or ground electrode: a metal conductor, usually a solid copper-alloy rod of specified length, driven into the ground in order to provide a point for electrical connection between the building grounding system and ground or earth. In the electrical code, the grounding electrode conductor is the conductor (a wire) used to connect the grounding rod(s) to the equipment grounding conductor (the ground bus and ground wires in the electrical panel) OR to the grounded conductor (the neutral bus and neutral wires) OR to connect both of these to the grounding electrode (which is usually the case in residential electrical systems). Grounded Conductor (the neutral wire): by convention the grounded conductor or neutral wire is white or gray. In an electrical circuit the grounded conductor (white or neutral wire) normally carries electrical current between the un-grounded (hot) electrical wire and (back through the main electrical panel and grounding system) earth. In the electrical code, a grounded conductor is one which has been intentionally grounded - connected to the earth. The amount of current carried by the neutral wire is called the un-balanced load and depends on the characteristics of the electrical device being operated by the circuit. The neutral conductor is grounded in the main electrical panel. Be careful, inspectors and electricians, speaking loosely, may simply call this the "neutral wire". Equipment Grounding Conductor (the ground wire): By convention the equipment grounding conductor (ground wire) is bare copper or carries green insulation. the individual wire in a (grounded) electrical circuit that is connected through the ground bus in the electrical panels and ultimately in the main electrical panel is connected to ground or earth. In the electrical code, a grounding conductor is a conductor (metal wire, metal bar, etc) which is used to connect electrical equipment (like an electrical panel enclosure) or the grounded circuit (the neutral wires) of a wiring system to a grounding electrode (and thus to earth). The ground wire in an electrical circuit does not normally carry any electrical current, but it remains available as an emergency path to allow current to flow to earth should an electrical fault such as a short circuit occur (a connection between a hot wire and some metal (conductive) material that could cause an electrical shock to someone), thus assuring that a fuse or circuit breaker in the main panel can sense the current flow and switch off the circuit. In an older two-wire armored cable (BX) electrical circuit, the metallic cable of the circuit may be serving as the only grounding conductor. It helps to keep these terms straight if we remember that we use the ing form of the word grounding to mean that this conductor causes an electrical connection between earth and whatever the grounding conductor is connected to. Electrical Bonding Definitions (consistent with NEC article 100)Bonding or Bonded: means that metallic parts are permanently joined so as to assure that they form a reliably continuous electrical path and that the parts are capable of conducting any electrical current that may be imposed on them. A bonding jumper is a reliable electrical conductor used to connect metal parts together and a main bonding jumper is the connection between the grounded circuit conductor and the equipment grounding conductor at the electrical service (panel). Ground bond: refers to a physical electrical connection between any metal component (like metal water pipes, metal gas piping, a metal electrical panel enclosure, or a neutral or ground bus in the main electrical panel) and the building electrical ground system. In the main electrical panel the neutral wires are physically bonded to the ground wires (by a larger diameter wire or by a metal bar inside the panel) and the ground wire bus (a metal bar) is further connected to a grounding conductor that connects those components to the building ground system: one or more grounding electrodes and possibly a connection to an incoming metal water pipe that is buried outside. An electrician would say that the building's ground and neutral wires are bonded to earth Bonding electrical components together makes certain that all of the joined items are at the same electrical potential (that is, that current will not flow from one to the other). Examples of electrical bonds in buildings include:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the definitions of AC, DC current, amps, watts, volts, ohms, and other electrical terms common to residential buildings and their mechanical systems.Question: What do I need to hook up DC running lights and a porch light on a gutted Airstream International trailer?I have a 1967 Airstream International planted in the backyard and want to run an extension cord out to it to run basic electric. It has 5 amber running lights and a porch light on the outside that runs on DC. It is completely gutted and I have access to the single wire from each fixture. What do I need to do to hook up the outside running lights to a power strip. - Rob Reply: AC - DC power converter, extension cord, connectors, cautionRob, For just a few running lights and a porch light, most likely you won't even be drawing 10 watts, but to be on the safe side and to allow for expanded use of your power supply once you figure out how useful it is, I'd look at a unit with 35 watts or larger output. ... Ask a Question or Search InspectApediaQuestions & answers or comments about the definitions of AC, DC current, amps, watts, volts, ohms, and other electrical terms common to residential buildings and their mechanical systems.. Ask a Question or Enter Search Terms in the InspectApedia search box just below. Technical Reviewers & ReferencesRelated Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
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