Power
© Oxford University
POWER
Power of a body is defined as the rate at which it can
do work. That is, it is the amount of work done per
unit time.
Power tells you how fast energy can be converted.
© Oxford University
Power is a quantity associated with time. Two identical tasks
can be done at different rates. For example, let us consider
three participants (A, B, and C) in a cycle race of 100 m: A
completes the race in 3 minutes, B in 1 minute 20 seconds, and
C in 2 minutes, applying same force. The work done is same by
all the three, but B is said to have applied more power than A
and C. Here, we say that although work done is the same,
power differs. The equation for power shows the importance of
time:
Power = Work / Time
In the SI system, the unit of power is the joule per second (J/s),
known as the watt (W). One watt is equal to 1 joule per second
(W = J/s). For example, if a smartphone uses 5 J of energy every
second, then the power of the phone is 5 J/s or 5 W.
© Oxford University
Power tells you how fast energy can be converted. All
machines are typically described by a power rating.
The power rating indicates the rate at which that
machine can do work upon other objects. Different
electrical appliances convert different amounts of
energy in one second.
• A 25-W bulb converts 25 J of electric energy to light
energy in 1 second.
• A 2500-W geyser converts 2500 J of electrical energy
to heat energy in 1 second.
• A 60-W bulb converts more amount of energy in 1
second than a 25-W bulb and hence gives out more
light.
© Oxford University
To measure large amounts of power, bigger units such as
kilowatt and megawatt may be used.
1 kilowatt (kW) = 1000 W
1 megawatt (MW) = 1000 kW
The power delivered by a machine is measured in horsepower
(hp).
1 hp = 746 W
© Oxford University
The differences between energy and power can be listed as
follows:
© Oxford University
Example: If you leave a 100-W bulb ON for 1 hour (= 3600
seconds), then the total energy used will be:
Energy = Power × Time = 100 × 3600 = 360,000 J = 360 kJ
Alternatively, since 100 W of power was used by the bulb in
1 hour, its energy can also be written using the unit watt-
hour as 100 watt-hour.
So, if the bulb is used for 3 hours, the total energy
transformed will be 100 × 3 = 300 watt-hour.
© Oxford University
