Watts are associated with heat?

[Rich76]

A guy told me that a watt is not associated with heat. Then I read that a watt can be defined as 1 J/s of heat flow. Wouldn't that mean a watt is IS associated with heat?

I think the guy was trying to say that a watt is associated with multiple forms of energy, not heat, specifically. I'm confused by the definition I read..

 

[Bystander]

Energy is energy is energy, be it heat, chemical energy, mechanical energy, electrical energy, potential energy, or whatever. Power is energy per unit time, period, end of sentence.

 

[Rich76]

Energy is energy is energy, be it heat, chemical energy, mechanical energy, electrical energy, potential energy, or whatever. Power is energy per unit time, period, end of sentence.

Thank you. Any idea why a website would write that a watt can be defined as 1 J/s of heat flow?

 

[Bystander]

That is the SI unit of power.

 

[Rich76]

Thanks again. :)

 

[Rich76]

Wait, so a watt is the SI unit of power? I'm confused again. So, a watt is associated with heat?

Sorry, for wasting your time with my questions..

 

[Bystander]

Heat is energy by another name, yes, and heat per unit time is still power. Think of the "burner" on an electric stove --- it's rated in watts, right? This many watts of electric power is converted to the same wattage of heat power for cooking. Or, incandescent bulbs ---- x watts of electric power turns into y watts of "waste" heat (unless you're hatching chickens, and that's the use you make of the bulbs) plus z watts of visible light energy per second.
And, you're not wasting anyone's time if you're clarifying definitions for yourself.

 

[Rich76]

Thank you. :)

 

[russ_watters]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watt