Practice question

Applied voltage drives migration, but Joule heating increases with square of voltage. High voltage generates excessive heat within gel, causing temperature gradients, buffer evaporation, gel melting in agarose, and denaturation of samples. Thermal convection disturbs bands, leading to diffusion, smearing, and loss of resolution. While moderate voltage increase sharpens bands via reduced diffusion time, excessive voltage beyond optimal range compromises integrity. High voltage does not lower migration rate; it increases it but at cost of band quality, resulting in smeared appearance.