Watt's Law
Watt's Law, sometimes called the Power Law, describes the relationship between power (), current (), and voltage (), so that power is defined as:
Given tha values for any two variables, we solve for the third so that voltage, electrical potential energy, is defined as:
And current, which is the flow of electricity, is defined as:
Power and Watts
Power is measured in watts. One watt () is equal to one joule () per second (), or . Another way to put it is, a watt is the amount of electricity required to accelerate 1kg by 1 meter per second squared (a joule) over 1 second. In other words, a watt is "how much work can be done per second".
Video: Power, Work, and Energy
Full course on Khan Academy: Power)
History
The terms watt and Watt's Law are named after James Watt, best known for his work to improve the steam engine.
Broader Topics Related to Watt's Law (Power Law)
![International System of Units (SI)](/img/blog-article-generic_256x256.jpg)
International System of Units (SI)
Formal terms and definitions of the metric system
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Current and Amperes
The flow of electricity, measured in amps
![Voltage and Volts](/img/blog-article-generic_256x256.jpg)
Voltage and Volts
Electrical potential energy, measured in volts
![Power (Physics)](/img/blog-article-generic_256x256.jpg)
Power (Physics)
Energy that results from charged particles
![Electricity](/img/blog-article-generic_256x256.jpg)
Electricity
Energy that results from charged particles