Which expression gives power in terms of work and time?

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Multiple Choice

Which expression gives power in terms of work and time?

Power is the rate at which work is done. If you perform a certain amount of work W in a time t, the power is P = W / t. This directly expresses how quickly energy is transferred; it has units of joules per second, or watts. Since work itself can be written as force times distance, you could also see power as (F × d) / t, but the essential idea is the division of work by time. The other forms don’t describe a rate at which energy is transferred: work is not a rate, time over work isn’t a rate, and force over time isn’t the standard expression for power.

Power is the rate at which work is done. If you perform a certain amount of work W in a time t, the power is P = W / t. This directly expresses how quickly energy is transferred; it has units of joules per second, or watts. Since work itself can be written as force times distance, you could also see power as (F × d) / t, but the essential idea is the division of work by time. The other forms don’t describe a rate at which energy is transferred: work is not a rate, time over work isn’t a rate, and force over time isn’t the standard expression for power.

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