The statvolt is a unit of

voltage Voltage, also known as (electrical) potential difference, electric pressure, or electric tension, is the difference in electric potential between two points. In a Electrostatics, static electric field, it corresponds to the Work (electrical), ...

and

electrical potential Electric potential (also called the ''electric field potential'', potential drop, the electrostatic potential) is defined as electric potential energy per unit of electric charge. More precisely, electric potential is the amount of work neede ...

used in the CGS-ESU and

gaussian Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) is the eponym of all of the topics listed below. There are over 100 topics all named after this German mathematician and scientist, all in the fields of mathematics, physics, and astronomy. The English eponymo ...

systems of units. In terms of its relation to the SI units, one statvolt corresponds to , i.e. to 299.792458

volt The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, Voltage#Galvani potential vs. electrochemical potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units, International System of Uni ...

s. The statvolt is also defined in the CGS system as 1

erg The erg is a unit of energy equal to 10−7joules (100Nano-, nJ). It is not an SI unit, instead originating from the centimetre–gram–second system of units (CGS). Its name is derived from (), a Greek language, Greek word meaning 'work' or ' ...

per

statcoulomb The statcoulomb (statC), franklin (Fr), or electrostatic unit of charge (esu) is the unit of measurement for electrical charge used in the centimetre–gram–second electrostatic units variant (CGS-ESU) and Gaussian systems of units. In term ...

. It is a useful unit for

electromagnetism In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge via electromagnetic fields. The electromagnetic force is one of the four fundamental forces of nature. It is the dominant force in the interacti ...

because, in vacuum, an

electric field An electric field (sometimes called E-field) is a field (physics), physical field that surrounds electrically charged particles such as electrons. In classical electromagnetism, the electric field of a single charge (or group of charges) descri ...

of one statvolt per centimetre has the same energy density as a

magnetic field A magnetic field (sometimes called B-field) is a physical field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials. A moving charge in a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular ...

of one

gauss Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (; ; ; 30 April 177723 February 1855) was a German mathematician, astronomer, Geodesy, geodesist, and physicist, who contributed to many fields in mathematics and science. He was director of the Göttingen Observat ...

. Likewise, a plane wave propagating in vacuum has perpendicular electric and magnetic fields such that for every gauss of magnetic field intensity there is one statvolt/cm of electric field intensity. In the CGS-EMU system, the unit of voltage is the

abvolt The abvolt (abV) is the unit of potential difference in the CGS-EMU system of units. It corresponds to in the SI system and 1/ statvolt ≈ in the CGS-ESU system. A potential difference of 1 abV will drive a current of one abampere through ...

Additional Information

The statvolt is a fundamental unit of electric potential in the centimetre-gram-second electrostatic unit (CGS-ESU) and Gaussian unit systems. It is defined as the potential difference between two points that imparts one erg of energy per statcoulomb of charge. This unit's relevance stems from its convenient relationship to electromagnetic quantities in

vacuum A vacuum (: vacuums or vacua) is space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective (neuter ) meaning "vacant" or "void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressur ...

, where an

of one statvolt per centimetre corresponds energetically to a

of one gauss. In practical terms, one statvolt is equivalent to approximately 299.792458

volts The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). Definition One volt is defined as the electric potential between two point ...

in the International System of Units (SI), which makes it significantly larger than the standard volt. This conversion factor arises from the speed of light, c, linking electromagnetic units in the CGS system to those in SI. Unlike the statvolt, the CGS electromagnetic unit (CGS-EMU) system uses the abvolt as its voltage unit, which differs significantly in

magnitude Magnitude may refer to: Mathematics *Euclidean vector, a quantity defined by both its magnitude and its direction *Magnitude (mathematics), the relative size of an object *Norm (mathematics), a term for the size or length of a vector *Order of ...

and

definition A definition is a statement of the meaning of a term (a word, phrase, or other set of symbols). Definitions can be classified into two large categories: intensional definitions (which try to give the sense of a term), and extensional definitio ...

.https://www.knowledgedoor.com/2/units_and_constants_handbook/statvolt.html

Notes

References

{{CGS units Units of electrical potential Centimetre–gram–second system of units