Power is defined as what?

• A. The total amount of energy transferred
• B. The rate of doing work
• C. The energy stored per unit volume
• D. The force required to move an object

Answer: (B)

Power is the rate at which work is done or energy is transferred. It tells you how quickly energy is used or moved from one place to another. Mathematically, power equals work divided by time (or energy divided by time), and its unit is the watt (one joule per second). This distinguishes power from total energy or work—the latter is the amount transferred, while power describes how fast that transfer happens. For example, lifting a weight quickly and slowly can use the same total energy, but the quick lift has higher power because the energy is transferred in a shorter time. The other options describe energy stored per volume (energy density) or the force required to move an object, which are not about how fast energy transfer occurs.