watts

Bulb brightness measure

Watts are units of power in the International System, measuring the rate of energy transfer.

One watt equals one joule per second.

The term appears constantly in discussions of electricity and appliances: a 60-watt light bulb, The microwave uses 1200 watts.

Watts measure how much energy something consumes or produces per unit of time. (Capitalized Watts is a surname.)

electrical

amperage

Electrical flow quantity

circuit · consumption · draw · load · output · input

lighting

lumens

Measure of visible light

incandescent · fluorescent · halogen · CFL · bulb · lamp · dim · glow · filament · tungsten

mechanical

horsepower

Rate of mechanical work

  • engineMachine producing motion
  • motorEnergy-to-motion converter
  • torqueRotational force measurement

generator · turbine · dynamo · output · traction · drive · pump · compressor · industrial

thermal

heat

Transferred thermal energy

baseboard · infrared · element · BTU · warming

audio

amplifier

Signal-strengthening electronic device

receiver · stereo · channel · impedance · gain · loudness · distortion · headroom · solid-state

Categories
Opposites
electrical measurement units

wattsvolts

Electrical potential units

amperes · amps · ohms · voltage · current

power magnitude

wattsmilliwatts

Power in tiny increments

microwatts · megawatts · gigawatts · kilowatts · terawatts

Phrases
Family

watt, wattage, kilowatt, megawatt, gigawatt, terawatt, milliwatt, watthour, watthours

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G