In physics, power is the rate of doing work or transferring heat. It is measured in joules per second (J/s) or watts (W). In SI units, power takes the unit watt (W), equal to one joule per second. Other units for power include ergs per second (e/s) and calories per second (cal/s).
Forms of Power 🌪️💡
Power has several different forms that can be classified according to their causes:
- Mechanical: e.g., windmills, waterwheels
- Electrical: e.g., batteries, generators
- Chemical: e.g., gasoline engines
- Nuclear: e.g., fission and fusion reactors
The Philosophical Perspective 📜
Philosophers and scientists since antiquity have studied the concept of power. The early Greek philosopher Aristotle distinguished between two types of cause: formal cause and efficient cause. The former corresponds to what we would now call “power,” while the latter corresponds to modern notions of “energy” or “work.”
Learn More About Power and Infrastructure 📚
For more information on power and its applications, explore these resources: