Calculating electrical power

Pathway to identify what

Before you set out to calculate power, it's helpful to identify what you hope to calculate. There are four calculations, each of which is a pathway for the power.

Whenever power is shifted using an electrical circuit, expect to find an electrical pathway: the pathway is electrical working.

Power in the electrical working pathway.

Trade-off for how much

Both voltage or potential difference and current set the power in the electrical pathway. So you can get a high power either by choosing a high current or a high potential difference—there is a trade-off.

Since both force and velocity can be negative, so the power can also be negative.