• 0 Posts
  • 3 Comments
Joined 2 years ago
cake
Cake day: July 5th, 2024

help-circle

  • Voltage is always a difference between two points. It is not absolute - it depends on where you measure from.

    When we measure voltage, we always choose a reference point (often called ground or 0 V).

    If a point has more electric potential than the reference → voltage is positive

    If a point has less electric potential than the reference → voltage is negative

    So, a voltage is “negative” only because of the chosen reference point.

    Example

    Imagine a battery:

    • the positive terminal is higher potential
    • the negative terminal is lower potential

    If you measure like this:

    • Red probe on +, black on − → +9 V
    • Red probe on −, black on + → −9 V

    Same battery, different reference → different sign!

    • Voltage is always relative
    • Negative voltage means: “This point is lower than the reference point”
    • The same physical voltage can appear positive or negative, depending on how you measure it