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Watts

Intro

The watt (W) is a convenience unit to describe the amount of work that current can do, as a factor of voltage and amperage, and is defined as:

Watts = Volts * Amps

Common Wattages

Electrical CurrentVoltageAmperageWattage
Hair Dryer117V12A1,404W
60 Watt Incandescent Light Bulb117V~0.5A~60W
iPad/Tablet Charger5V~2A10W
Netduino5V40mA0.2W

Further Reading

For a much more in depth discussion regarding amps, see the wattage section in Part 2 of the Electronics Tutorial