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
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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)
Current and Amperes
The flow of electricity, measured in amps
Electricity
Energy that results from charged particles
Power (Physics)
Energy that results from charged particles
International System of Units (SI)
Formal terms and definitions of the metric system
Voltage and Volts
Electrical potential energy, measured in volts