teravolt

Teravolt is an SI-derived unit of electric potential equal to 10^12 volts. The prefix tera- multiplies the volt by one trillion, so a teravolt (symbol TV) represents a potential difference of one trillion volts. While technically valid within SI practice, teravolt is not commonly used in everyday engineering or physics; most practical measurements employ kilovolts, megavolts, or gigavolts, with teravolts appearing mainly in theoretical discussions, specialized research, or science fiction.

In terms of scale, a potential difference of one teravolt implies extremely large electric fields over any practical distance. For example, the electric-field breakdown strength of air at standard conditions is on the order of a few megavolts per meter, meaning that achieving TV-scale voltages would require vastly greater insulation, vacuum gaps, or alternative dielectric media. Teravolt-level potentials are more often discussed in theoretical contexts, such as models of extreme astrophysical plasmas, high-energy particle acceleration concepts, or hypothetical containment schemes, rather than in conventional electrical systems.

Usage and notation: the symbol for teravolt is TV, with the unit name commonly written as teravolt and the symbol TV. Because “TV” is also an acronym for television, the meaning is usually inferred from context or explicit units in scientific writing.

See also: volt, electrical potential, SI prefixes, high-voltage engineering.