🔋 Joules to Volts Calculator
Translate between energy, voltage, charge, and capacitance using classic electronics formulas.
Useful for capacitor sizing, battery discharge estimates, and lab experiments involving stored electrical energy.
Energy = Voltage × Charge
Reverse Check
Optional: enter a voltage to compute stored energy.
Energy from Voltage
10 J
Computed voltage from energy and charge
5 V
How to Use This Calculator
Choose the known parameter
Select whether you know the stored charge (Q) or the capacitance (C) of the system.
Enter the measured values
Provide energy in joules and either charge in coulombs or capacitance in farads.
Read the resulting voltage
The calculator outputs the implied voltage and lets you verify the energy using your own voltage input.
Formula
Using charge: V = E ÷ Q and E = V × Q
Using capacitance: V = √(2E ÷ C) and E = ½ × C × V²
Units: E in joules, Q in coulombs, C in farads, V in volts.
Use the formula breakdown to confirm the calculation logic or perform the conversion manually if needed.
Full Description
Converting joules to volts depends on what else you know about the circuit. With charge, use the linear energy relation E = VQ. With capacitors, the non-linear formula E = ½ CV² applies. This tool covers both scenarios and includes a reverse check so you can confirm readings from real hardware.
Typical use cases include sizing energy storage capacitors, understanding how much charge a battery delivers at a given voltage, and verifying energy conservation in lab experiments.
Remember that resistive losses, leakage, and temperature can alter real-world results. Treat these calculations as ideal estimates unless you include efficiency factors separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I know both charge and capacitance?
You can use either mode. With both known, the calculated voltages should match, which is a good sanity check.
Why does capacitance mode use a square root?
Energy stored in a capacitor scales with the square of voltage, so solving for V requires a square root.
Can the calculator handle very small capacitor values?
Yes. Enter capacitance in farads, including scientific notation (e.g., 1e-6 for microfarads). The math remains valid.
Does the result include inefficiencies?
No. It assumes an ideal circuit. Include efficiency factors manually if you need real-world discharge or charge estimates.