What is power?

• Power is developed as an engine or machine does?work
• Power is the rate of doing work, usually by the?driving force?of an engine
  • It is the same as?work done per second
  • The work done is converting fuel (a type of chemical energy) into a driving force
• In your Mechanics A Level course, power will usually be in questions about moving vehicles
• Power is a?scalar?quantity and can only take a positive value

How is power calculated?

• Power is the rate of doing work and can be calculated by the formula

• • The derivation can also be shown for a constant force,?F?N and considering the rate of doing work over a very small interval of time

• The units for power are?watts (W)?or?kilowatts (kW)
  • 1 watt = 1?joule?per?second
  • 1 kilowatt = 1000 watts

How is power used in calculating maximum speed?

• As a vehicle gains speed the driving force can decrease to create the same amount of power
• If the vehicle maintains maximum power its driving force will decrease as its speed increases and it will eventually reach a point where its?resultant force?is zero (the driving force will balance the resistance forces)
  • When the resultant force becomes zero, by Newton’s Second Law, acceleration will also become zero and the vehicle will be travelling at?maximum speed
  • The?maximum power output?of a vehicle can be found when the vehicle is moving at its maximum speed and the acceleration is zero
  • If the maximum power output is known, then maximum speed can be found when the vehicle is travelling at its maximum power with zero acceleration and the resultant forces are balanced