real power
4
6.7
- noun
- Specialized
:
potencia activa
- In electrical engineering, real power represents the usable energy produced in an AC circuit.
- holds the real power
would you know at home? Do I pay for apparent power or for real power?
- would you know at home? Do I pay for apparent power or for real power?
Examples
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Measuring real power helps engineers determine the efficiency of electrical systems.
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The technician analyzed the real power to ensure the performance of the new equipment.
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And the power factor is the ratio of real power P divided by the apparent power.
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In a constitutional monarchy, parliament has all the real power.
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Real power still resides in the executive departments that have people, equipment, money, and the capacity to get things done.
Academic text (1998) -
More realistic representations of electric power networks incorporate loop flow and reactive power in addition to real power.
Academic text (2001) -
Since roughly two-thirds of energy is provided by roughly 40 percent efficient internal combustion engines and steam turbines, the real power consumption is:
Blog text (5)
Synonyms
1
4.9
Energy in an electrical circuit that does useful work, like turning motors or lighting lamps
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'real' (actual) + 'power' (energy or rate of doing work) make the phrase partially interpretable as 'actual/effective power', so a learner could guess a non-figurative meaning. However, the precise technical sense in AC circuits (active power vs. reactive power, averaged over a cycle) is specialized and not fully predictable from the words alone, so understanding the exact definition requires domain knowledge.
Etymology
Real power is the part of electricity that actually makes a machine or heater run — the energy that 'does work' — not the energy that only goes back and forth in the wires. Imagine pushing a swing: pushes that move it forward are like real power, while pushes that only move it back and forth cancel each other, so real means 'doing work'.