Potential drop is the loss of electrical energy between two points due to resistance in a conductor, which converts some of the energy into heat. Increasing wire diameter can limit potential drop, but active measures are often more efficient. Potential drop also applies to fluid dynamics.
Potential drop, also called voltage drop, is the difference in power between two points in the same system. Conductive material has an inherent resistance to electrical flow. As current moves through the conductor, this resistance converts some of the potential electrical energy into heat. The amount of loss is the amount by which the potential electric power between the two ends of the conductor changes, or the potential drop. While this drop is undesirable in many parts of an electrical system, it is very important to other parts.
In a simple wire, the potential drop is based solely on the resistance of the conductor. When current moves through the wire, a certain amount of energy is transformed into heat. This is generally a known property of the conductor, which means that it is simple to find the potential drop simply by knowing how long and thick the wire is. While slight impurities in the conductor or irregularities in the voltage will alter this value, it is usually only a negligible difference.
When transferring large amounts of voltage, potential sag is a big deal. If 50% of the electricity delivered to a neighborhood simply disappeared, the power company would have a big problem. Customers may not have enough energy for their homes and businesses, and rates would need to increase to compensate for the energy loss.
The easiest way to limit potential drop is to simply increase the wire diameter. The larger the diameter, the more space energy has to move through the system, resulting in less electricity being wasted into heat. Even if it works well up to a point, it is a passive measure and often active measures are more efficient. These usually focus on using higher starting voltages and reducing the distances between power loads.
A secondary use of potential drop is in fluid dynamics. This usage describes an almost identical situation to the electrical meaning, as it applies to pipes and fluid. Fluidic use is the difference between the pressures of a fluid at two different points in a system.
In both cases, potential is a description of what the energy has the ability to do rather than what it is actually doing. When electricity is lost to resistance, it loses potential energy; essentially electricity has less capacitance at one end of a wire than the other. When describing fluid pressure, liquid also has less potential energy. Because it has a lower pressure, it requires more liquid to do the same job as a higher pressure fluid.
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