Power in electric circuits

When voltage is measured in a circuit, it is measuring the conversion of electrical energy to other
forms. As energy is conserved, the component can be said to be doing work, as this is defined as a
transfer of energy.

Electrical work

As the equation defining potential difference includes a term for the amount of energy transferred,
E, W = E. Therefore: 𝑊 = 𝑉 × 𝑄. The definition of current, in rearranged form, is 𝑄 = 𝐼𝑡. Combining
these equations gives us:

𝑊 = 𝑉𝐼𝑡
Electrical power

Power, P, is the rate of transfer of energy i.e. the rate of doing work. In a circuit, the energy is
𝐸 𝑊
dissipated by a component. The mathematical definition for this is 𝑃 = 𝑡
𝑜𝑟 𝑃 = 𝑡
.

Incorporating the equation above:

𝑉𝐼𝑡
𝑃= = 𝑉𝐼
𝑡
Power dissipated by resistors

Variations of the electrical power equation can be formed by substituting in terms from Ohm’s law.

Therefore, if we only know current and resistance:

𝑃 = 𝑉𝐼 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑉 = 𝐼𝑅 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑃 = 𝐼 2 𝑅
If we only known pd and resistance:

𝑉 𝑉2
𝑃=𝑉 × =
𝑅 𝑅
Efficiency

The equations above can be used to calculate the work and power of an electrical device, however
to be useful, we must consider the purpose of the device. Therefore, efficiency = useful energy
output / total energy input or / total power input.