Electrical Units Converter

Comprehensive electrical unit converter for volts, amperes, ohms, watts, and more. Perfect for electronics projects, engineering calculations, and circuit design.

Unit Type

From

About Electrical Units Converter

Understanding Electrical Units

Electrical units form the foundation of modern electrical and electronic measurements. The International System of Units (SI) defines seven base units, of which the ampere (current) is fundamental to electrical measurements. Other electrical units like the volt, ohm, and watt are derived from these base units. The historical development of these units traces back to pioneers like Alessandro Volta, Georg Ohm, and James Watt, whose names now represent these essential measurements.

Core Electrical Units

Quantity	Unit	Symbol	Definition
Current	Ampere	A	Flow of electric charge
Voltage	Volt	V	Electric potential difference
Resistance	Ohm	Ω	Opposition to current flow
Power	Watt	W	Rate of energy transfer

SI Prefixes in Electronics

Larger Units

kilo (k): ×1,000
mega (M): ×1,000,000
giga (G): ×1,000,000,000
tera (T): ×1,000,000,000,000

Smaller Units

milli (m): ×0.001
micro (μ): ×0.000001
nano (n): ×0.000000001
pico (p): ×0.000000000001

Common Applications

Household Electronics

Wall outlet: 120/230V AC
USB power: 5V DC
LED current: 20mA
Phone charger: 15-20W

Industrial Applications

Power transmission: 400kV
Electric motors: 10-100kW
Industrial current: 100-1000A
Insulation testing: 100MΩ+

Relationships and Laws

Fundamental Laws

Ohm's Law: V = I × R

Power Law: P = V × I

Joule's Law: P = I² × R

Capacitor Charge: Q = C × V

Inductance: V = L × (dI/dt)

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the basic electrical units?

The basic electrical units include the volt (V) for voltage, ampere (A) for current, ohm (Ω) for resistance, watt (W) for power, and farad (F) for capacitance. These units are part of the International System of Units (SI) and form the foundation for all electrical measurements and calculations.

How do you convert between milliamps and amps?

To convert milliamps (mA) to amps (A), divide by 1000. To convert amps to milliamps, multiply by 1000. For example, 500 mA equals 0.5 A. The milli- prefix represents one-thousandth, following standard SI metric prefixes used across all electrical units.

What is the relationship between volts, amps, and ohms?

Volts, amps, and ohms are related through Ohm's law: V = I × R, where V is voltage in volts, I is current in amps, and R is resistance in ohms. This fundamental relationship means that knowing any two of these values allows you to calculate the third.

What are SI prefixes and how do they apply to electrical units?

SI prefixes are standard multipliers used to express very large or very small values. Common prefixes in electrical engineering include mega (M, 10⁶), kilo (k, 10³), milli (m, 10⁻³), micro (μ, 10⁻⁶), nano (n, 10⁻⁹), and pico (p, 10⁻¹²). For example, 1 megaohm equals 1,000,000 ohms.

What is the difference between AC and DC electrical measurements?

DC measurements are straightforward since voltage and current are constant. AC measurements are more complex because the values continuously oscillate, so they are typically expressed as RMS (root mean square) values. RMS values represent the equivalent DC value that would produce the same heating effect, with AC RMS voltage being approximately 0.707 times the peak voltage.

Additional Resources

International System of Units - Wikipedia Ohm's Law - Wikipedia SI Units - NIST

Share This Calculator

Include calculator values in URL

Embed on Your Website

Add this calculator to your website