Explain the difference between work and power?

Answer 1

Work is how much energy is transferred, measured in Joules. Power is how fast or slow the work is transfered, measured in Joules per second. One joule per second is called one Watt of power. This meams a 60 Watt light bulb converts 60 joules of electrical energy into roughly 15 joules of light and 45 Joules of heat every second its switched on for.

Answer 2

Work is ordered energy while heat is unordered. By this I mean that when energy is moving in the same direction, it can be used to move a piston (work - also known as w = f/d), whereas heat is unordered and is scattered everywhere, thus unable to truly move the piston.

Answer 3

They have the same units- Joules - so can be equated. Work is something actually done, and in doing work energy is expended, but you can also talk of doing work to store energy. For example in running a compressor to fill a cylinder with compressed gas, energy is supplied to the compressor motor, work is done by the compressor, and the result is stored energy in the gas. Fuels such as coal have potential or stored energy, which can be released to do work. So I think the fundamental is energy, but when energy is used, work results.

Hope that makes sense!

Answer 4

Power is the rate of work. The equation for power is expressed as a ratio of the change in the amount of work done with respect to the amount of time it took to do the work. For a simple example, consider that a landscaper can, on average, shovel 50 lbs of dirt into a wheelbarrow every 1 minute. It follows then that Pavg = dw/dt .

("dw" and "dt" are just fancy ways in mathematics of saying "change.")

Then your "Power" would be 50lbs/min. It can be more complicated, too. In mechanics, we have an equation for "Work." After all, it's one thing to say "Moving 50lbs every one minute" as a generic measurement, but what if the landscaper has to carry the shovel up a small hill? Like, what if he is down in a hole? Then of course the amount of work he has to do increases as the hole gets deeper. The rate at which the hole gets deeper depends on if he has anyone helping him, and the diameter of the hole.

And what if he runs into a strata of clay as he digs? That will slow him down I bet. You see, it becomes very complicated, but mathematics has tools for this, and this is actually a rather simple problem. If you know the density of dirt and you know the circumference of the hole that is being dug, you can calculate the length of time it will take to dig the hole to a certain depth by knowing 3 or 4 simple equations. You could possibly consider that the landscaper will get fatigued as he works, but if you are smart you will realize that a good landscaper takes many short breaks to rest himself, so that he can maintain power throughout the day.

Ultimately, to answer the questions, there is no real similarity between power and work - rather, there is a relationship. Power is an expression of the amount of time it takes to get work done.

Answer 5

Work is the transfer of energy that occurs when a force is applied to an object, causing it to move in the direction of the force. Power, on the other hand, is the rate at which work is done or energy is transferred. In simpler terms, work is the actual energy transferred, while power is how fast that energy is being transferred.

Answer 6

Power is the rate at which work is done.

Average power would be

(the amount of work during some time period) divided by (length of time to do it).

Answer 7

Power is the rate of doing work ... (unit of work) divided by (unit of time).

If you do 20 joules of work in 10 seconds, your average power during that time is 20/10 = 2 watts.

Answer 8

For one, you have to work to get power usually. The more you work you put into things the more power you receive. If you work hard you can gain power through respect. Etc.