Question

How many watts is 1 volt?

Answer 1

A **volt (V)** and a **watt (W)** measure different physical quantities, so you cannot directly equate them. Here's a detailed explanation to clarify the relationship between volts and watts:

### Key Concepts:
1. **Voltage (V)**: Measures the electrical potential difference or "pressure" that drives electric current through a circuit. It is expressed in volts (V).
2. **Power (W)**: Measures the rate at which energy is transferred or converted. It is expressed in watts (W).
3. **Current (I)**: Measures the flow of electric charge. It is expressed in amperes (A).

### The Relationship Between Watts and Volts:
The relationship between watts, volts, and current is described by the formula:

\[
\text{Power (P in watts)} = \text{Voltage (V)} \times \text{Current (I in amperes)}
\]

- If you know the current in amperes, you can calculate the power for a given voltage.
- For example, if 1 volt is applied and the current is 1 ampere:
  
  \[
  P = V \times I = 1 \, \text{volt} \times 1 \, \text{ampere} = 1 \, \text{watt}
  \]

- However, if the current is different (e.g., 2 amperes), the power would be:

  \[
  P = 1 \, \text{volt} \times 2 \, \text{amperes} = 2 \, \text{watts}.
  \]

### When Current Is Unknown:
If the current is not specified, you cannot determine how many watts are associated with a specific voltage, because the power depends on both the voltage and the current.

### Special Case: Electrical Resistance
If you also know the resistance (R, in ohms) in a circuit, you can use Ohm's law:

\[
I = \frac{V}{R}
\]

Substituting this into the power formula:

\[
P = \frac{V^2}{R}
\]

This equation shows that the power depends on both the voltage and the resistance.

### Summary:
- **1 volt is not inherently equivalent to a specific number of watts.**
- To find watts, you need to know either the current in amperes or the resistance in ohms.