# Electron volt to volt question

An $$\rm{eV}$$ (electron volt) is equal to a volt. So that volt it is equal to, is it based on 1 volt rms or one volt peak to peak or one volt average, or some other calculation of a volt?

• No. Just like a light year is not a year but a distance. – Pieter Jan 9 at 12:37
• Maybe it would be useful to mention that 1 eV is literally equal to e (the electron charge) times 1 V. It follows from what the answers say, but it is not yet written explicitly in this thread. – Federico Poloni Jan 9 at 20:01

An eV Electron volt is equal to a volt

This cannot be, as the election volt is a unit of energy, whereas a volt is a unit of potential (energy per unit charge). However, they are closely related....

So that volt it is equal to, is it based on 1 volt rms or one volt peak to peak or one volt average, or some other calculation of a volt?

The electron volt is just the change in potential energy an election experiences when undergoing a potential difference of 1 volt. i.e. if I want to move an electron at rest to a point of 1 volt lower potential difference and have the electron stop at rest, I would need to supply it with 1 electron volt of energy to do so.

An electron volt is not equal to a volt: an electron volt is the change in energy you get by moving a charge equal to that on an electron through a potential difference of one volt. An electron volt is a unit of energy.

You can then work backwards through the definition of a volt, which is the potential difference across a conductor such that a current of one amp dissipates one watt, through the definitions of amp (which involves the charge on an electron) & so on.

An eV Electron volt is equal to a volt.

An electron volt does not equal a volt. The first is a unit of energy. The second is energy per coulomb of charge (electrons).

The eV is a unit of energy equal to the work required to move a single electron between two points having a potential difference of 1 volt.

A volt is energy per coulomb of charge (6.24 x 10$$^{18}$$ electrons) required to move the charge between two points. Units are Joules/coulomb.

1 eV = 1.602 x 10$$^{-19}$$ Joules.

Hope this helps.