Is it watt per second or watt per hour

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In summary, watts are a measure of power, which is the rate at which energy is generated or consumed. The device described in the conversation is producing 4 watts, meaning it is generating 4 joules of energy per second. It does not make sense to talk about watts per hour, as watts already have time factored into their measurement. It is also important to note that watts per time is a measure of change in power over time.
  • #1
bionic6manuel
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Say I have a device (Thermoelectric generator) that "generates power" at 4 watts, as per watt meter reading, is it producing 4 watts a second or 4 watts an hour. I say it is producing 4 watts a second but my brother in law says 4 watts an hour so the watt meter can tell the future. Please bear in mind I am not consuming energy but generating energy.
 
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  • #2
Hello .Watts is a unit of power(Joules per second) so the 4 Watt device is producing 4 Joules per second.

To clarify this further the Joule is a unit of energy so the device is producing 4 Joules of energy every second.
 
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  • #3
Watts are a unit of power, so it doesn't make sense to talk about watts per hour (or per second). They already have the "per unit time" built in.
 
  • #4
bionic6manuel said:
... is it producing 4 watts a second or 4 watts an hour ...

It is generating 4 Watts for as long as you leave it on. :rolleyes:

See Dadface's answer above. Power is a measure of how fast you generate energy (or consume it). Joules is a measure of total generated energy.

Your brother may be getting confused by the units WHr which is also a measure of energy (that's Watt hours, not Watts per hour). If you leave a 4 W device running for one hour, you generate 4 WHr of energy, which is 4 JHr/s x 3600 sec / 1 Hr, which is 14400 Joules.
 
  • #5
I thank you all very much for the explanation
 
  • #6
cjl said:
Watts are a unit of power, so it doesn't make sense to talk about watts per hour (or per second). They already have the "per unit time" built in.

Watts per time is the change in power over time :)
 

1. Is watt per second the same as watt per hour?

No, watt per second (W/s) and watt per hour (W/h) are units of measurement for different quantities. Watt per second measures the rate of energy transfer, while watt per hour measures the amount of energy used or produced over time.

2. What is the difference between watt per second and watt per hour?

The main difference between watt per second and watt per hour is the time component. Watt per second measures the rate of energy transfer, while watt per hour measures the amount of energy used or produced over time.

3. How do I convert watt per second to watt per hour?

To convert watt per second to watt per hour, you can use the formula: watt per hour = watt per second x 3600. This is because there are 3600 seconds in an hour.

4. Which unit of measurement is more commonly used, watt per second or watt per hour?

Watt per hour is more commonly used as it is a more practical unit for measuring energy usage or production over time. Watt per second is typically used in scientific and engineering contexts to measure the rate of energy transfer.

5. Can watt per hour be converted to watt per second?

Yes, watt per hour can be converted to watt per second by dividing the value in watt per hour by 3600. This will give you the equivalent value in watt per second.

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