Power
- Power is a term that usually means wattage.
- Wattage (
W
) is a convenience unit to describe electricity that includes amps and voltage, multiplied together (watts = amps x volts
). - Volts and amps can be traded for each other in a current, as long as the overall amount of work (Wattage), stays the same. This is often done through induction.
Power Calculations Derived from Ohm's Law
In addition to the standard definition of a watt (volts * amps
), power can be calculated when only volts
or amps
and resistance
is known:
- When amperage (current) and resistance is known:
P = I^2 * R
- When voltage (force) and resistance is known:
P = V^2 / R