Voltage & Frequency
To state it simply, voltage, or electrical tension, is the measure of the potential energy that an electrical field can cause in a conductor. An electrical field is the playground for electrical energy. The voltage standard in effect throughout the European Union is 220V-240V. The voltage standard in effect in Canada, the United States and northern South America is between 110V-120V.
Frequency is the number of times a current changes per second. It is measured in hertz, which, in the German language, means heart (Herz). Approximately one hertz is the frequency of a human heartbeat. The two standard frequencies used worldwide are 50Hz or 60 Hz. Despite the two standard frequencies, some countries use a variation of the voltage and frequency supply available. Most pieces of equipment are made to operate within the variation of their given countries.
In Japan, for example, the voltage supply is 100V, however western Japan operates at 60Hz and eastern and northern Japan at 50Hz. Using the same frequency when operating an appliance is important, therefore Japanese manufacturers make appliances that can switch to either frequency.
