115 Volts Ac 60hz Means

Unit 4: Energy Through Our Lives-Role 2

Section F. Watts, Volts, and Amps, Oh My!

Power andtime of apply are the factors that determine how much energy is used by an electrical appliance or piece of equipment. Power is the rate at which energy is used, or piece of work is done, per unit of time. Electric power is usually measured in watts; hence, electrical power is frequently referred to every bit wattage. The higher the wattage, the greater the amount of electric energy that an electrical appliance or piece of equipment uses over a flow of fourth dimension. For case, a 1,200-watt microwave oven uses twice as much electrical free energy and produces twice as much heat in i minute equally a 600-watt microwave oven.

Notwithstanding, an apparatus with a higher wattage will not use much energy if it is used for only a few seconds, whereas an apparatus with a lower wattage may use a lot of energy if information technology is used for a number of hours. For instance, a one,200-watt microwave used for only 30 seconds uses less energy than a 600-watt microwave does in half 60 minutes.

The human relationship between the wattage, fourth dimension of use, and the free energy used past an appliance or piece of equipment tin be expressed by this formula:

Wattage (Power) x Time = Energy utilisation

By using this formula, nosotros can compare the free energy used past electrical appliances and equipment to run into which ones use the most electricity.

Wattage and other electrical data is ofttimes listed directly on the appliance or equipment. For example, a label on a microwave oven may look similar this:

ACME, Microwave Oven
Model No. 10-15Z
120 Volts Air-conditioning 5 A
600 Watts 60 HZ
Made in USA

The data on the characterization tells us that the microwave oven needs 120 volts of electricity in the class of alternating electric current (AC) to operate, and draws v amps (amperes) of current during its utilise. The threescore HZ number means that the current alternates at a charge per unit of sixty times per second. The wattage of the microwave is 600 watts.

If the voltage and electric current are listed on an appliance but the wattage is not, the wattage can be calculated by multiplying the voltage by the current. Using the information on the microwave label, the wattage is equal toVoltage 10 Current = Wattage.

120 volts x 5 amps = 600 watts

If the microwave oven is used an average of a half hr each solar day, the average corporeality of energy is uses per twenty-four hours is

Wattage x Time = Energy use

600 watts x 0.5 hours per day =300 watt-hours per day

Volts, Amps, and Watts: What are they?

Voltage

All sources of electricity, such as batteries or generators, accept the potential to exercise work (eastward.g. illuminate calorie-free bulbs, run electric appliances). Voltage describes this potential. The greater the voltage, the more potential the electricity source has to do work.

The potential to do work should not be dislocated with actually doing piece of work. For instance, a battery that is sitting on a table but not connected to annihilation has a voltage, or the potential to do work such as lighting a light bulb. Nonetheless, the bombardment will not lite the bulb unless it is connected to the seedling in an electrical circuit. Only then will the battery actually do piece of work.

The unit of measurement of voltage is the volt. One volt is defined as doing ane joule (0.74 foot-pounds) of work to motion one coulomb (6.25 x ten¹⁸) electrons.

Current

Electric current is simply the period of electrons (or, in some cases, positive charges). In a excursion, electric current delivers energy from a source of electricity to an electrical device (eastward.k. a light bulb) or appliance.

The unit of measurement of current is the ampere, or amp. Anampere is defined as having one coulomb (6.25 ten 10^xviii) electrons flow past a signal in an electric circuit every second.

The Relationship between Voltage and Electric current

The relationship between voltage and electric electric current is like to the relationship betwixt the height of a waterfall and the water that flows down it. A height is needed for the h2o to flow down the waterfall. The greater the superlative of the waterfall, the more energy the water has when it reaches the bottom. If no height exists, the h2o volition not flow and it volition non have any energy due to motion.

A voltage (like to meridian) is needed to cause an electric current to flow (retrieve of cascading water) so that it tin can evangelize energy to an electrical device or apparatus. Information technology is helpful to remember that a current is a flow of electrons and electrons have mass (therefore current is a mass of flowing electrons!). The higher the voltage, the more work an electrical current tin practice. If no voltage exists, a current will not catamenia and work cannot be done.

DC and Air-conditioning Electric current

The current produced by sources of electricity comes in 2 main forms: direct electric current (DC) and alternating current (AC).Direct electric currentis current that flows in i direction through a circuit. Information technology is produced by sources of electricity whose positive (+) concluding e'er stays positive and negative (-) last always stays negative. For example, a battery produces direct current because the battery'southward terminals always remain the same; the negative final does non alter to a positive terminal, and vice versa. Hence, the current volition ever flow from the negative concluding of the battery toward the positive concluding.

Alternating current is electric current whose menstruation in a excursion periodically reverses direction. It is produced by a source of electricity whose positive and negative terminals switch or alternate back and forth. In other words, one terminal will switch from positive to negative and dorsum to positive, while the other last will switch from negative to positive to negative. Alternating the terminals from positive to negative cause the current to flow in one management, so in the contrary direction, and dorsum to its original direction, and and so on. Electrical generators in power plants throughout the United states produce alternate current that reverses management 60 times per 2d. The unit used to describe the rate at which current alternates is the cycle per second, orhertz (HZ).

Electric Power

In general,poweris defined every bit the charge per unit at which work is done, or free energy is used, per unit of time.Electrical power specifically refers to the rate in which a source of electricity produces energy, or refers to the charge per unit in which an electrical device, appliance, or slice of equipment converts electrical free energy into other forms of energy. The faster a source of electricity (such as a generator) produces electrical energy, the greater its ability output. The faster an electrical device (such as a light bulb) converts electrical free energy in lite and heat energy, the greater its power consumption. Electrical power is related to voltage and current by the following formula: Power = Voltage 10 Electric current

The unit of electrical power is the watt. Onewattis defined as one joule (0.74 foot-pounds) per second, or one volt multiplied past one amp. Because the watt unit is used so frequently, electric power is often referred to as wattage.

Did you know...

...many of our small and medium appliances never stop using electricity! Experts call this usage "standby consumption" or "leaking electricity" because people are often not aware that the appliance is using electricity.