What is the unit of electrical power?

The unit of electrical power is defined as the rate at which electrical energy is transferred or converted. The watt, named after James Watt, is the standard unit for measuring power in the International System of Units (SI). One watt is equivalent to one joule per second, which means that when an electrical device consumes or produces one watt of power, it is doing so at a rate that allows it to transfer one joule of energy in one second. This makes watts particularly useful in electrical applications since they directly relate to both voltage and current using the formula ( P = V \times I ), where P is power in watts, V is voltage in volts, and I is current in amperes.

Understanding this helps to clarify why the other units do not represent electrical power. Joules measure energy, volts measure electrical potential difference, and farads measure capacitance. Each of these plays a role in the broader context of electrical theory, but when specifically addressing electrical power, watts is the applicable unit.