true power

Part of the TechTarget Network of Enterprise IT Web Sites
Home Look It Up ITKnowledge Exchange Fast References Products White Papers Blogs

Search our IT-specific encyclopedia for:
 
OR Jump to a topic:
 
Advanced Search
Browse alphabetically:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
All Categories Electronics

true power

True power is the power manifested in tangible form such as electromagnetic radiation, acoustic waves, or mechanical phenomena. In a direct current ( DC ) circuit, or in an alternating current ( AC ) circuit whose impedance is a pure resistance , the voltage and current are in phase, and the following formula holds:

P = E rms I rms

where P is the power in watts, E rms is the root-mean-square voltage in volts, and I rms is the rms current in amperes. But in an AC circuit whose impedance consists of reactance as well as resistance, the voltage and current are not in phase. This complicates the determination of power .

In the absence of reactance, this voltage-current product represents true power . But when there is reactance in an AC circuit, the product E rms I rms is larger than the true power, and is known as apparent power .

The vector difference between the apparent and true power is called reactive power , and represents energy alternately stored and released by inductor and/or capacitor .



Last updated on: Apr 05, 2005

>  Enterprise Software related Research & News
>  White Papers for the Retail Industry

Are you a Know-IT-All?
What does the i in iSCSI stand for?
Answer

WORD OF THE DAY...
full-disk encryption (FDE)
LEARN MORE ABOUT...
business intelligence tools
Buzz Alert: Facebook Connect
Every File Format in the World
Learning Guides and Tutorials
Our Favorite Cheat Sheets
Our Latest Discovery
Our 60 tech-specific sites
Tech Trivia
Writing for Business
WhatIs.com RSS Feeds
Home Look It Up ITKnowledge Exchange Fast References Products White Papers Blogs
About Us   |   Contact Us   |   For Advertisers   |   For Business Partners   |   Reprints   |   RSS   |   Awards
TechTarget provides enterprise IT professionals with the information they need to perform their jobs - from developing strategy, to making cost-effective IT purchase decisions and managing their organizations' IT projects - with its network of technology-specific Web sites, events and magazines.

TechTarget Corporate Web Site  |  Media Kits  |  Reprints  |  Site Map




All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2008, TechTarget | Read our Privacy Policy
  TechTarget - The IT Media ROI Experts