What potential is necessary to cause one coulomb to produce one joule of work?

The necessary potential to cause one coulomb to produce one joule of work is measured in volts. This relationship comes from the definition of voltage, or electric potential difference, which indicates how much electric potential energy is transferred per coulomb of charge. Specifically, one volt is defined as one joule per coulomb (1 V = 1 J/C). Therefore, when a charge of one coulomb moves through a potential difference of one volt, it has the ability to do one joule of work.

Understanding this concept is vital in electrical work and energy calculations, where the voltage level determines the amount of work that can be done with electrical energy. In contrast, watt measures power (the rate of doing work), ohm measures resistance, and ampere measures current. These do not directly relate to the energy conversion that occurs through voltage.