why 110v at america?

India
March 6, 2013 6:01am CST
in the recent day i came to know that in america they have the line supply of 110 volts but in india it is 230v....why thy are using so??? i couldn't believe that is that a real fact?
1 response
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
6 Mar 13
The reasons are complicated and historical. Thomas Edison chose 110v because that was the voltage he needed to light his lamps. Other countries mostly seem to have followed German standards which allowed cheaper distribution over longer distances at a higher voltage. To supply 100W of power at 110v requires approximately twice as much current as it does at 230v and the higher the current, the larger the conductors need to be to carry it and the greater the line losses.
• India
16 Mar 13
thank you