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

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter rtareen
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Charge Mean
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the interpretation of the phrase "volts of charge" as used in popular media, particularly in relation to static electricity. Participants explore the confusion between the concepts of voltage and charge, questioning how laypeople understand and use these terms in non-scientific contexts.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express confusion over the use of "volts of charge," noting that charge is measured in Coulombs and voltage measures electric potential.
  • One participant suggests that when laypeople mention volts, they might mean the electric field, which is measured in volts per meter.
  • Another participant points out that the phrase is often used inaccurately in popular press, indicating a decline in competent scientific editing.
  • Some argue that the phrase could imply "enough charge to generate a potential of 20,000 volts," but question from where this potential is measured, as it varies with distance.
  • There is a suggestion that the potential difference might be between the charged object and the atmosphere, but this remains unclear.
  • Participants express frustration over the sloppy language used in media and the challenges in interpreting it accurately.
  • One participant proposes measuring potential from the ground or the point of discharge, but this is not universally accepted.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the phrase "volts of charge" is misleading and poorly defined, but there is no consensus on what it specifically means or how to interpret it accurately. Multiple competing views remain regarding the intended meaning and implications of the term.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights limitations in the clarity of language used in popular media, the dependence on definitions of voltage and charge, and the unresolved nature of how potential is measured in these contexts.

rtareen
Messages
162
Reaction score
32
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?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Heres another one:

"The [fire authority] wisely impounded Clewer's jacket, which continues "to give off voltage.""
 
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.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Likes   Reactions: Bystander, rtareen and Astronuc
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."
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: russ_watters
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: BillTre and Vanadium 50
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.
 
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.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Vanadium 50

Similar threads

Undergrad What do we mean when we say that charge is moved or transfered
  • · Replies 24 ·
Replies
24
Views
2K
Undergrad What does it mean to say a battery is however many volts?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
Undergrad What Happens to Ions Generated by a Destat Apparatus?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
What Determines Voltage Reference and Measurement Accuracy?
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
2K
What does more/less voltage mean?
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
4K
High School Voltage drop: What do we mean when we say that voltage drops across a resistor?
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
3K
Conundrum about meaning of "Dwell" and "Dwell Meter"
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
9K
High School What do people mean when they say the Universe is Computable
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Can PVC Prevent Static Charge from Grounding in Mylar Setup?
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
8K
Australian Man Causes Spontaneous Combustion
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
5K