Statvolt

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The statvolt is the unit of voltage and electrical potential used in the cgs system of units. The conversion is

1 statvolt = 299.792458 volts.

(The conversion factor 299.792458 is simply the numerical value of the speed of light in m/s divided by 10⁶.)

It is a useful unit for electromagnetism because one statvolt per centimetre is equal in magnitude to one gauss. Thus, for example, an electric field of one statvolt/cm has the same energy density as a magnetic field of one gauss. Likewise, a plane wave propagating in a vacuum has perpendicular electric and magnetic fields such that for every gauss of magnetic field intensity there is one statvolt/cm of electric field intensity.