POWER
The ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially, as a faculty or quality.
ELECTRICAL POWER
Electric power, like mechanical power, is the rate of doing work, measured in watts. The term wattage is used colloquially to mean "electric power in watts." The electric power in watts produced by an electric current I consisting of a charge of Q coulombs every t seconds passing through an electric potential (voltage) difference of V is:
(Where
Q is electric charge in coulombs,
t is time in seconds,
I is electric current in amperes,
V is electric potential or voltage in volts.)
i.e.
The product of voltage and current.
OR
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred.
OR
The rate at which electric energy is converted to other forms of energy.
TYPES OF ELECTRICAL POWER
The types of electric power are,
1. Real Power.
The power dissipated by resistive components in the system is REAL POWER.
2. Reactive Power.
Power provided to the reactive components in the system, i.e., capacitive and inductive elements is REACTIVE POWER.
3. Apparent Power.
The product of the applied system voltage and the system current, irrespective of the system power factor is APPARENT POWER.
EXPLANATION
Electric power is transformed to other forms of power when electric charges move through an electric potential (voltage) difference. When an electric charge moves through a potential difference, from a high voltage to a low voltage, the potential does work on the charges, converting the energy in the potential to kinetic energy of the charges, or some other form. This occurs in most electrical appliances, such as light bulbs, electric motors, and heaters; they consume electric power, converting it to mechanical work, heat, light, etc.
If the charges are forced to move by an outside force in the direction from a lower potential to a higher, power is transferred to the electric current. This occurs in sources of electric current, such as electric generators and batteries.
• Electric power is the mathematical product of two quantities: current and voltage. These two quantities can vary with respect to time (AC power) or can be kept at constant levels (DC power).
• Electric power is transformed to other forms of power.
• Electric power is the rate of energy consumption in an electrical circuit.
