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Electrical & Electronics Engineering vocabulary · Voltage, Current and Power

Voltage drop

Meaning in electrical & electronics engineering, with examples

nounCore term

In electrical & electronics engineering, voltage drop means: The reduction in voltage along a conductor or across a component as current flows through it. In long cables it means the load receives less voltage than the source supplies.

In Turkish: gerilim düşümü, voltaj düşümü

How it is used

Used in cable sizing, power distribution and circuit analysis. Engineers calculate, measure and limit the voltage drop, often as a percentage. You also speak of the voltage drop across a resistor, a diode or a fuse.

Example sentences

  1. On a 60-meter run the voltage drop is too high, so we need a thicker cable.

  2. Measure the voltage drop across the shunt resistor to find the current.

Common collocations

  • calculate the voltage drop
  • voltage drop across
  • excessive voltage drop
  • cable voltage drop
  • voltageThe electrical pressure that pushes current through a circuit, in other words the potential difference between two points. It is measured in volts (V).
  • Ohm's lawThe basic rule that the current through a conductor equals the voltage across it divided by its resistance. It is usually written V = I × R.
  • wireA single conductor, usually copper, often covered with insulation. A cable is several insulated wires grouped together inside an outer sheath.
  • resistanceHow strongly a material or component opposes the flow of electric current. It is measured in ohms (Ω); for the same voltage, higher resistance means less current.

More terms: Voltage, Current and Power

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