Comment on Power is not energy: why the difference matters [Technology Connections]
Septimaeus@infosec.pub 2 weeks ago
He’s making a point about instantaneous versus overall energy use, which it sounds like you already understand. “Power” and “energy” are already kind of loose terms, which could make that conversation confusing IMO.
But for anyone confused by this:
For the typical energy consumer, Watts (W, kW) are relevant when considering circuit capacity. Otherwise, Watt-hours (Wh, kWh) is likely the metric you’re looking for when considering energy use.
Concretely, your coffee maker might pull 1.2 kW while in use, more than most appliances in your house, yet it probably represents a minuscule portion of your electric bill, perhaps less than 1 kWh, since it only needs to boil a small amount of water with each use.
floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
How are energy and power “loose terms”? Energy might be difficult to fully explain rigorously, but it’s one of the fundamental elements of our universe. And power is just energy over time
Septimaeus@infosec.pub 2 weeks ago
Well, you yourself just provided the example, since your definition of energy and power are the inverse of the definitions used in the video.
It’s the fact that people use them differently or interchangeably that makes them “loose” IMHO.