Statvolt

The statvolt (statV) is a unit of electrical potential or electromotive force (voltage) in the centimeter-gram-second electrostatic (CGS-ESU) system of units. It is also sometimes referred to as an electrostatic unit of potential.

The statvolt is a derived unit. One statvolt is defined as the potential difference required to expend one erg of work in moving a charge of one statcoulomb between two points. More formally:

1 statV = 1 erg / 1 statC

The statvolt is related to the volt, the SI unit of electric potential, by the following approximate conversion:

1 statV ≈ 299.792458 V

Conversely:

1 V ≈ 0.00333564 statV

The statvolt is a relatively large unit of potential. Because of this, it is sometimes encountered in applications involving high voltages and small currents where the CGS-ESU system offers advantages, particularly in theoretical calculations within electromagnetism and particle physics. However, the use of the statvolt has largely been superseded by the SI system of units in most practical engineering and scientific applications.