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Watt




The watt (symbol: W) is the SI Derived Unit of Power .


DEFINITION


One watt is one Joule of Energy per Second .

: 1 W = 1 J/s = 1 Newton Meter per second = 1 kg·m2·s−3


ORIGIN

The watt is named after James Watt for his contributions to the development of the Steam Engine , and was adopted by the Second Congress of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1889 and by the 11th Conférence Générale Des Poids Et Mesures in 1960 .


SI MULTIPLES



DERIVED AND QUALIFIED UNITS FOR POWER DISTRIBUTION


A watt is a unit of power or the amount of energy per unit time.


Kilowatt-hour


When paired with a unit of time the term ''watt'' is used for expressing energy consumption (work). For example, a '' Kilowatt Hour '', is the amount of Energy expended by a one kilowatt device over the course of one hour; it equals 3.6 megajoules (1 hour = 3600 seconds). These units are often used in the context of power plants and home energy bills.

For the use of watts as a measurement of transmitter power in Radio , see Effective Radiated Power and Nominal Power .


MWe, MWt


Watt electrical (abbreviation: We) is a term that refers to power produced as electricity. SI Prefix es can be used, for example ''megawatt electrical'' (MWe) and ''gigawatt electrical'' (GWe).

Watt thermal (abbreviation: Wt). This is a term that refers to thermal power produced. SI Prefix es can be used, for example ''megawatt thermal'' (MWt) and ''gigawatt thermal'' (GWt). For example, a Nuclear Power Plant might use a Fission Reactor to generate heat (thermal output) which creates steam to drive a turbine to generate electricity.


OTHER INFORMATION

This SI unit is named after James Watt . As for all SI units whose names are derived from the proper name of a person, the first letter of its Symbol is Uppercase (W). But when an SI unit is spelled out, it should always be written in Lowercase (watt), unless it begins a sentence or is the name "degrees Celsius ".


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