About this converter
Electric potential — commonly called voltage — measures the energy per unit charge at a point in an electric circuit, expressed in volts (V). One volt equals one joule per coulomb (J/C), or equivalently one watt per ampere (W/A). It is the fundamental quantity that drives current through a circuit.
Electrical engineers, biomedical researchers, and power system technicians routinely convert between voltage scales. Battery cell engineers work in millivolts (mV) during charge cycles, high-voltage transmission operators deal in kilovolts (kV), and physicists studying CGS-based electromagnetic theory encounter abvolts and statvolts in older reference texts.
How to Use This Converter
- Enter the voltage or potential value in the Value field.
- Select the source unit from the From menu.
- Select the target unit from the To menu.
- The converted value and formula appear instantly.
- Use Swap to reverse the conversion direction.
Units Covered
| Unit | Symbol | Common Use |
|---|---|---|
| Volt | V | SI unit; used universally in circuit design, measurement, and standards. |
| Millivolt | mV | Battery cells, sensors, and medical instrumentation (ECG, EEG signals). |
| Microvolt | µV | Thermocouple outputs and low-noise amplifier noise-floor specifications. |
| Nanovolt | nV | Ultra-precise measurements in quantum voltage standards. |
| Kilovolt | kV | Power distribution lines and high-voltage equipment ratings. |
| Megavolt | MV | Lightning discharge energies and particle accelerator beam potentials. |
| Watt/ampere | W/A | Equivalent to volt; used in power-oriented circuit analysis. |
| Abvolt | abV | CGS electromagnetic unit; 1 V = 10⁸ abV. Found in older physics texts. |
| EMU of electric potential | EMU | Same as abvolt; used in CGS-EM electromagnetic unit systems. |
| Statvolt | stV | CGS electrostatic unit; 1 stV ≈ 299.792 V. Used in ESU-based physics. |
| ESU of electric potential | ESU | Same as statvolt; used in CGS-ES electrostatic unit systems. |
How to Convert Volts to Millivolts
Volts to millivolts
For example, 3.7 V × 1000 = 3700 mV — a typical lithium-ion cell nominal voltage.
Millivolts to volts
For example, 1250 mV / 1000 = 1.25 V.
When You Need to Convert Electric Potential
Battery engineers monitor cell voltages in millivolts during charge-discharge cycles. A lithium-ion cell charges to about 4200 mV and discharges to 3000 mV — a 1200 mV operating swing. Converting these thresholds to volts for BMS firmware or to microvolts for precision ADC calibration is a daily task in power electronics design.
Power grid engineers work with kilovolt-scale potentials. North American residential service delivers 120 V (0.12 kV) and 240 V (0.24 kV), while high-voltage transmission lines operate at 115–765 kV. Substation equipment specifications use kV, while commissioning measurements use V — making kV↔V conversion routine in power engineering.
Biomedical instrumentation engineers measure biopotentials in microvolts to millivolts. EEG brain signals range from 10–100 µV, ECG cardiac signals from 0.1–5 mV. Converting these to volts when interfacing with standard ADC references — typically 1.8 V or 3.3 V full scale — requires precise µV↔V and mV↔V conversions throughout the signal chain.