
powers that be
[Middle English, from Old French pooir, to be able, power, from Vulgar Latin *potēre, to be able, from Latin potis, able, powerful.]
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The time rate of doing work. Like work, power is a scalar quantity, that is, a quantity which has magnitude but no direction. Some units often used for the measurement of power are the watt (1 joule of work per second) and the horsepower (550 foot-pounds of work per second). See also Work.
Power is a concept which can be used to describe the operation of any system or device in which a flow of energy occurs. In many problems of apparatus design, the power, rather than the total work to be done, determines the size of the component used. Any device can do a large amount of work by performing for a long time at a low rate of power, that is, by doing work slowly. However, if a large amount of work must be done rapidly, a high-power device is needed. High-power machines are usually larger, more complicated, and more expensive than equipment which need operate only at low power. A motor which must lift a certain weight will have to be larger and more powerful if it lifts the weight rapidly than if it raises it slowly. An electrical resistor must be large in size if it is to convert electrical energy into heat at a high rate without being damaged.
noun
Definition: ability (mental), competence
Antonyms: inability, incapacity, incompetence, weakness
n
Definition: control, dominance
Antonyms: inefficiency, subservience, surrender, weakness, yielding
n
Definition: physical ability, capacity
Antonyms: debility, disability, impairment, impotence, infirmity, weakness
The rate at which work is performed, energy is transformed or transferred, or energy is consumed; usually expressed in watts or horsepower.
(metaphysical). A capacity or ability to bring about an effect or undergo a modification. Water has the power to dissolve salt; salt has the capacity to dissolve in water. The metaphysical problem lies in relating powers to other (‘categorical’) properties, the properties which are intrinsic to a substance and which do not require it being put in relation to other objects in order to be manifested. Powers seem to depend on more than intrinsic structure, but also on the laws of nature or other natural features of the universe surrounding the bearer of the powers. All claims about powers and their grounds are controversial. See also finkish.
1. Technically defined as the rate at which energy is expended or work is done, power is measured in watts (W) of work per unit time (power = work done/time taken). The amount of power generated by a person, therefore, depends on two important components: speed and strength. Power is the key component for most athletic activities. A powerful athlete has to be able to transform physical energy into force at a fast rate. This ability depends on the amount of ATP produced per unit time. Sprinting, jumping, and throwing events are activities requiring great power and very high rates of ATP production. Compare capacity.
2. The ability of a person or group to control the behaviour of others even when actively opposed.
3. The capacity to intervene in a given set of circumstances to alter them in some way.
In physics, the amount of energy put out or produced in a given amount of time. Power is often measured in watts or kilowatts.
In mathematics, a power is a number multiplied by itself the number of times signified by an exponent placed to the right and above it. Thus, 32, which means 3 × 3, is a power — the second power of three, or three squared, or nine. The expression 106, or ten to the sixth power, means 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10, or one million.
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In physics, power is the rate at which energy is transferred, used, or transformed. For example, the rate at which a light bulb transforms electrical energy into heat and light is measured in watts—the more wattage, the more power, or equivalently the more electrical energy is used per unit time.[1][2]
Energy transfer can be used to do work, so power is also the rate at which this work is performed. The output power of an electric motor is the product of the torque the motor generates and the angular velocity of its output shaft. The power expended to move a vehicle is the product of the traction force of the wheels and the velocity of the vehicle.
The integral of power over time defines the work done. Because this integral depends on the trajectory of the point of application of the force and torque, this calculation of work is said to be "path dependent."
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The dimension of power is energy divided by time. The SI unit of power is the watt (W), which is equal to one joule per second. Other units of power include ergs per second (erg/s), horsepower (hp), metric horsepower (Pferdestärke (PS) or cheval vapeur, CV), and foot-pounds per minute. One horsepower is equivalent to 33,000 foot-pounds per minute, or the power required to lift 550 pounds by one foot in one second, and is equivalent to about 746 watts. Other units include dBm, a relative logarithmic measure with 1 milliwatt as reference; (food) calories per hour (often referred to as kilocalories per hour); Btu per hour (Btu/h); and tons of refrigeration (12,000 Btu/h).
As a simple example, burning a kilogram of coal releases much more energy than does detonating a kilogram of TNT,[3] but because the TNT reaction releases energy much more quickly, it delivers far more power than the coal. If ΔW is the amount of work performed during a period of time of duration Δt, the average power Pavg over that period is given by the formula

It is the average amount of work done or energy converted per unit of time. The average power is often simply called "power" when the context makes it clear.
The instantaneous power is then the limiting value of the average power as the time interval Δt approaches zero.

In the case of constant power P, the amount of work performed during a period of duration T is given by:

In the context of energy conversion it is more customary to use the symbol E rather than W.
Power in mechanical systems is the combination of forces and movement. In particular, power is the product of a force on an object and the object's velocity, or the product of a torque on a shaft and the shaft's angular velocity.
Mechanical power is also described as the time derivative of work. In mechanics, the work done by a force F on an object that travels along a curve C is given by the line integral:

where x defines the path C and v is the velocity along this path. The time derivative of the equation for work yields the instantaneous power,

In rotational systems, power is the product of the torque τ and angular velocity ω,

where ω measured in radians per second.
In fluid power systems such as hydraulic actuators, power is given by

where p is pressure in pascals, or N/m2 and Q is volumetric flow rate in m3/s in SI units.
If a mechanical system has no losses then the input power must equal the output power. This provides a simple formula for the mechanical advantage of the system.
Let the input power to a device be a force FA acting on a point that moves with velocity vA and the output power be a force FB acts on a point that moves with velocity vB. If there are no losses in the system, then

and the mechanical advantage of the system is given by

A similar relationship is obtained for rotating systems, where TA and ωA are the torque and angular velocity of the input and TB and ωB are the torque and angular velocity of the output. If there are no losses in the system, then

which yields the mechanical advantage

These relations are important because they define the maximum performance of a device in terms of velocity ratios determined by its physical dimensions. See for example gear ratios.
In optics, or radiometry, the term power sometimes refers to radiant flux, the average rate of energy transport by electromagnetic radiation, measured in watts. The term "power" is also, however, used to express the ability of a lens or other optical device to focus light. It is measured in dioptres (inverse metres), and equals the inverse of the focal length of the optical device.
The instantaneous electrical power P delivered to a component is given by

where
If the component is a resistor with time-invariant voltage to current ratio, then:

where

is the resistance, measured in ohms.
In the case of a periodic signal
of period
, like a train of identical pulses, the instantaneous power
is also a periodic function of period
. The peak power is simply defined by:
.The peak power is not always readily measurable, however, and the measurement of the average power
is more commonly performed by an instrument. If one defines the energy per pulse as:

then the average power is:
.One may define the pulse length
such that
so that the ratios

are equal. These ratios are called the duty cycle of the pulse train.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Dansk (Danish)
n. - magt, bemyndigelse, evne, kraft, strøm
v. tr. - forsyne med drivkraft, mase på
adj. - strøm-, magt-
idioms:
Nederlands (Dutch)
kracht, macht, vermogen, bevoegdheid, aandrijving, autoriteit, effectiviteit, elektriciteit, vergroting (optica), exponent, vermogen (mechanica), kracht geven
Français (French)
n. - (gén, Pol) pouvoir, puissance, influence, pouvoir, attributions, force, violence, (Phys, Tech, gén) énergie électrique, courant, (Mécan) puissance, (Sci) puissance, (Math) puissance, puissance (pays)
v. tr. - faire marcher (moteur), propulser (bateau, avion)
adj. - électrique, fonctionnant à l'électricité
idioms:
Deutsch (German)
n. - Kraft, Wucht, Macht, Vermögen, Autorität, Machtfaktor, Potenz, Herrschaft, Energie, Strom, Befugnis
v. - antreiben, betreiben
adj. - Macht-, mächtig
idioms:
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ισχύς, δύναμη, δυναμικό, ικανότητα, εξουσία, αρχή, ιδιοφυϊα, ταλέντο, (φυσ.) (ηλεκτρική ή κινητήρια) ενέργεια, δύναμη, εξουσία, επιρροή, (μαθημ.) δύναμη (αριθμού)
v. - κινώ (με μηχανική ενέργεια), παρέχω ενέργεια σε, εφοδιάζω με κινητήρα ή κινητήρια δύναμη
adj. - μηχανικός, υψηλής ισχύος
idioms:
Italiano (Italian)
vigore, capacità, potere, corrente, prestazione, padronanza, autorità, trazione, motorizzare, alimentare
idioms:
Português (Portuguese)
n. - poder (m), força (f)
v. - ligar, carregar
adj. - elétrico, de potência
idioms:
Русский (Russian)
сила, мощность, власть, степень, полномочие, производительность, приводить в действие, служить приводным двигателем
idioms:
Español (Spanish)
n. - fuerza, vigor, poder, facultad, autoridad, corriente, potencia, capacidad, dominio, competencia, transmisión, tracción, poderío
v. tr. - accionar, impulsar
adj. - de potencia, de fuerza o energía
idioms:
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - makt, befogenhet, kraft, dignitet, potens (mat.), förmåga, massa (fam.)
v. - driva
adj. - makt-, elektrisk(t)
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
权, 政权, 势力, 权力, 职权, 使...有力量, 激励, 供以动力, 借影响有权势人物以操纵权力的
idioms:
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 權, 政權, 勢力, 權力, 職權
v. tr. - 使...有力量, 激勵, 供以動力
adj. - 借影響有權勢人物以操縱權力的
idioms:
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 힘, 능력, 생활력
v. tr. - ~에동력을 공급하다
adj. - 동력으로 운전하는
idioms:
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 力, 能力, 体力, 知力, 権力, 力強さ, 強国, 権限, 動力, 電力, 権力者, 悪魔
v. - 動力を供給する
idioms:
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) قوة, قدرة, سلطان, نفوذ (فعل) يزود بالقوة (صفه) قوة بدنيه وعقليه
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - עוצמה, סמכות, אנרגיה, מעצמה, אלוהות, הספק, כושר, כוח, חזקה (במתימטיקה), יכולת, שליטה, כמות גדולה (מדוברת), כוח צבאי, תכונה פעילה, עליונות, השפעה
v. tr. - סיפק כוח, הניע, הפסיק או הפעיל כוח, הגביר או צמצם את אספקת הכוח
adj. - מכני, מנועי
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