What do people mean when they say "Volts of charge"?

In summary: I hear fingernails on a chalkboard when they confuse power and energy, but this one is more just slightly sloppy wording than truly wrong science.I don't mind less than perfect scientific accuracy so long as it's accurate enough for the topic at hand. In this case, I think they meant that the potential was high enough to cause a shock.
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rtareen
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Quote 1: "[He] accumulated an estimated 30,000 volts of static charge simply by walking around his home town in inadvisably large quantities of non-natural tailoring."
Quote 2: "A man left a trail of scorched carpet and melted plastic after static on his clothes built up to a 40,000 volt charge."

This is confusing because charge is measured in Coulombs and volts measure electric potential. I'm pretty sure since voltage is proportional to 1/r then if there's any charge on him the voltage is infinite. And actually it would be infnitely negative. The farther away you move from him the higher the voltage. So from what distance are they measuring these volts? Or do they have no clue what they're talking about. What does it usually mean when a layman mentions volts? Do they mean the electric field which is Volts per meter?
 
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Heres another one:

"The [fire authority] wisely impounded Clewer's jacket, which continues "to give off voltage.""
 
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You see that sort of thing repeatedly in the popular press. Competent scientific editors died out shortly after the dinosaurs and even the incompetent ones have been laid off due to the internet eating printed media's lunch.

The internet, of course, has never even HAD competent scientific editors.
 
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Isn't it obvious what they mean? "Enough charge to generate a potential of 20,000 volts".

And if you don't like less than perfect scientific accuracy in non-scientific news, you must really hate "Senator Blowhard has a lot of momentum going into this year's race."
 
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Vanadium 50 said:
Isn't it obvious what they mean? "Enough charge to generate a potential of 20,000 volts".

And if you don't like less than perfect scientific accuracy in non-scientific news, you must really hate "Senator Blowhard has a lot of momentum going into this year's race."

Ok, if that's what they mean then where is that potential measured from? Because it varies with distance. Or is it some kind of potential difference between the clothes and the atmosphere? Its still not very clear what they mean even if you take it like that. I just want to know what regular people are actually talking about when they mention volts.
 
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phinds said:
You see that sort of thing repeatedly in the popular press. Competent scientific editors died out shortly after the dinosaurs and even the incompetent ones have been laid off due to the internet eating printed media's lunch.

The internet, of course, has never even HAD competent scientific editors.
But what do you think they mean by it? Do you think they're talking about the electric potential set up by the charge or maybe the electric field? I want to know what they mean when they say things so I can maybe understand what theyre trying to say.
 
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rtareen said:
But what do you think they mean by it? Do you think they're talking about the electric potential set up by the charge or maybe the electric field? I want to know what they mean when they say things so I can maybe understand what theyre trying to say.
OK, so you want some random guy on an internet forum (me) to make a guess at what some other random guy (the author) meant when he (the other guy) used incredibly sloppy language to describe something?

Good luck with that.
 
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Vanadium 50 said:
Isn't it obvious what they mean? "Enough charge to generate a potential of 20,000 volts".
Agreed. I hear fingernails on a chalkboard when they confuse power and energy, but this one is more just slightly sloppy wording than truly wrong science. Doesn't really bother me.
 
  • #9
rtareen said:
Ok, if that's what they mean then where is that potential measured from? Because it varies with distance. Or is it some kind of potential difference between the clothes and the atmosphere? Its still not very clear what they mean even if you take it like that. I just want to know what regular people are actually talking about when they mention volts.
Well, what would you measure it from? I'd measure it from the ground it was generated from or the doorknob it discharged to.
 
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1. What is the meaning of "volts of charge"?

Volts of charge refers to the amount of electric potential energy that a unit of charge possesses. It is a measure of how much work is required to move a unit of charge from one point to another in an electric field.

2. How is volts of charge different from volts of electricity?

Volts of charge and volts of electricity are two different concepts. Volts of charge refers to the energy per unit of charge, while volts of electricity refers to the potential difference between two points in an electric circuit.

3. What is the unit of measurement for volts of charge?

The unit of measurement for volts of charge is volts (V). It is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, who invented the first battery.

4. How is volts of charge related to current and resistance?

Volts of charge is related to current and resistance through Ohm's Law, which states that the voltage (V) is equal to the product of current (I) and resistance (R) in a circuit (V=IR). This means that the amount of charge (in volts) flowing through a circuit is directly proportional to the current and inversely proportional to the resistance.

5. Why is understanding volts of charge important in science?

Understanding volts of charge is important in science because it helps us understand the behavior of electricity and how it can be manipulated to power devices and perform work. It is a fundamental concept in electromagnetism and is used in various fields such as engineering, physics, and chemistry.

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