What is EMF?
| Electromotive Force |
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A physical quantity which describes the ability of an electrical source to deliver energy. You can also think of it as the property of the source which creates current in a circuit. Derived from the nineteenth century term "electromotive force" which is ok (pronounced "okay") as far as the electromotive bit goes, but it is not a force as we define force now. The emf of a battery is responsible for producing a potential difference between the battery's terminals. If the battery is not connected to anything else, that potential difference is equal to the emf. The SI unit is the volt, symbol V. [Not to be confused with electromagnetic field which the popular press sometimes refers to as EMF.] |
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