What is Electric power?
[[Image:BSTROM1.jpg|thumb|[[Electric power transmission]] uses cables and electricity [[pylon]]s like this near [[Bartholomä]] in Germany]] '''Electric power''' is defined as the power dissipated by an electric circuit. Electric power is a [[measurement]] of the rate at which energy is used over a period of time. The [[SI]] unit for power is the [[watt]], the unit for energy is the [[joule]], and the unit for time is the second. For a [[direct current]] circuit, electric power equals the [[electric current]] multiplied by the [[voltage]]. When electric current flows through a circuit, it is slowed down by the [[electrical resistance|resistance]] in the circuit. Devices can convert this current to useful forms of [[work (physics)|work]], such as [[heat]] radiation, [[light]] emission, [[kinetic energy|mechanical motion]], or [[sound|acoustic]] vibrations. == Related pages == * [[Electric power transmission]] * [[Electric power distribution]] * [[Electrical generator]] ==References== * [http://www.nerc.com/~filez/blackout.html Reports on August 2003 Blackout, North American Electric Reliability Council website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060616214056/http://www.nerc.com/~filez/blackout.html |date=2006-06-16 }} * {{cite book | last = Croft | first = Terrell | author2 = Summers, Wilford I. | title = American Electricians' Handbook | url = http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/getbook.php?isbn=0071377352 | edition = Eleventh | year = 1987 | publisher = McGraw Hill | location = New York | isbn = 0-07-013932-6 | access-date = 2007-04-09 | archive-date = 2006-06-17 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060617170009/http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/getbook.php?isbn=0071377352 | url-status = dead }} * {{cite book | last = Fink | first = Donald G. | author2 = Beaty, H. Wayne | title = Standard Handbook for Electrical Engineers | url = http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/getbook.php?isbn=0070220050 | edition = Eleventh | year = 1978 | publisher = McGraw Hill | location = New York | isbn =