watt
Sign in to saveThe watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named in honor of James Watt (1736–1819), an 18th-century Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved the Newcomen engine with his own steam engine in 1776, which became fundamental for the Industrial Revolution.
AI overview
A watt is the standard unit used to measure power—the rate at which energy is being used or transferred—and is equal to one joule of energy per second. It matters because it's the universal way we quantify how much energy devices consume or produce, from light bulbs to power plants, making it essential for understanding and managing energy use.
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Key facts
- Unit.name
- watt
- Unit.image
- Alimentation 420 W.jpg
- Unit.caption
- A 420-watt power supply
- Unit.standard
- SI
- Unit.quantity
- power
- Unit.symbol
- W
- Unit.namedafter
- James Watt
- Unit.units1
- SI base units
- Unit.inunits1
- 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3
- Unit.units2
- CGS units
- Unit.units3
- English Engineering Units
- Unit.inunits3
- =
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
10 sectionsContents
- Overview
- Examples
- History
- Multiples
- Radio transmission
- Distinction between watts and watt-hours
- See also
- Explanatory notes
- References
- External links
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named in honor of James Watt (1736–1819), an 18th-century Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved the Newcomen engine with his own steam engine in 1776, which became fundamental for the Industrial Revolution.
==Overview== When an object's velocity is held constant at one meter per second against a constant opposing force of one newton, the rate at which work is done is one watt. \mathrm{1 ~ W = 1 ~ J {/} s = 1 ~ N {\cdot} m {/} s = 1 ~ kg {\cdot} m^2 {\cdot} s^{-3}}.