Power, in general, is defined as the rate at which energy is transferred or converted or the rate of doing work. Thus, power can be calculated using the formula P = W / t. On the other hand, power is a scalar quantity and is basically the amount of energy consumed per unit of time which has no direction. While we have already talked about power in our other article, on this page students will find all the information regarding the unit of power.
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SI Unit of Power
According to popular standards, the SI unit of power is none other than the watt which is represented by the symbol (W). One joule per second is also equal to one watt. Interestingly, the name was kept in recognition of James Watt, who invented the condenser for the steam engine. He also coined the term horsepower, which is the older unit of power. It can be depicted as;
| 1 watt = 1 J/s = 1 kg-m2/s3 |
Other Power Units
Some of the common power units include ergs per second (erg/s), foot-pounds per minute, dBm, food calories per hour or kilocalories per hour, horsepower (hp), BTU per hour (BTU/h).
Units Of Power Conversions
| Units | Abbreviation | Equivalent Watt Unit |
| Horsepower | HP | 746 watts |
| Kilowatts | kW | 1×103W |
| Megawatts | MW | 1×106W |
| Gigawatts | GW | 1×109W |
| decibel-milliwatts | dBm | 30 dBm = 1 W |
| British Thermal Unit/Hour | BTU/hr | 3.412142 BTU/hr = 1 w |
| Calories per Second | cal/sec | 0.24 calories per second cal/sec = 1 W |
Related Links
| Unit Of Force | Unit Of Pressure |
The video explains the fundamentals of the concept of Power
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
What is power?
What is the formula to calculate power?
P = W / t
What is the SI unit of power?
State true or false: One joule per second is also equal to one watt.
Name three power units.
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