Voltage source

A voltage source is an electrical element or device that maintains a specified voltage between its terminals while supplying or absorbing current.

Ideal voltage source: A theoretical source that maintains constant terminal voltage for any current. It defines the voltage-source behavior that practical devices approximate.
Electric potential difference: The change in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points. A voltage source is specified by the potential difference it maintains.
Battery: An electrochemical device that stores energy and supplies electrical power through chemical reactions. A battery is a common real-world voltage source.
Current source: An electrical element or device that maintains a specified current through its terminals. It controls current rather than the terminal voltage controlled by this source.
Internal resistance: The effective resistance inside a source or device that limits current and causes voltage drop under load. It explains why a practical source's terminal voltage changes with load.
Electric current: The rate at which electric charge flows through a circuit. Current is the response a source supplies or absorbs when connected to a load.
Voltage regulator: A circuit that maintains a specified output voltage despite changes in input or load. Regulators make a source's output steadier under varying conditions.
Practical voltage source: A voltage source modeled as an ideal source in series with internal resistance. It contrasts the ideal model with the voltage droop of real sources.
Thevenin's theorem: A linear two-terminal network can be represented by a voltage source in series with a resistance. It reduces complex source networks to a voltage source and series resistance.
Ohm's law: The relationship V = IR between voltage, current, and resistance in an ohmic component. It predicts load current when a source drives a resistive circuit.

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Millman's theoremRelated: Each branch source supplies the voltage value weighted in the theorem's numerator.