The major difference between watt and volt is that watt measures the rate at which electrical work is done when a current of one ampere flows across a one-volt potential difference. Rather volt represents the potential difference between two points in a conductor,
What is Watt?
A watt is a unit of power used to measure the amount of energy required for work or heat generation. It’s similar to the concept of horsepower in engines, indicating the rate of energy usage by a device.
To calculate watts in a direct current (DC) circuit, you multiply the voltage by the current. Watts represents the rate at which energy is either used or produced. One watt is equal to one joule (a unit of energy) per second (1 W = 1 J/s).
Utility companies determine charges based on watts or power consumed over a specific period. Typically, electricity usage is measured in kilowatt-hours. For instance, if you keep a light bulb on for 10 hours, it consumes 1 kilowatt-hour of energy.
What is Volt?
Voltage, often referred to as electromotive force, quantifies the force required for a power source to propel charged electrons through a conducting medium. It’s akin to the pressure necessary for water to flow through pipes. Voltage represents the potential difference between two points in a conductor, ensuring a constant current of 1 ampere while dissipating 1 watt of power between those two points, and is measured in volts (V).
To simplify power ratings, volt-amperes (VA) are commonly used for calculating current draw. Volt-amperes are obtained by multiplying the voltage and current, revealing the apparent power in a DC circuit, which equates to the circuit’s real power.
This information is crucial when you want to find out the current consumption of a device or circuit given its voltage, such as assessing the power draw of an appliance when connected to a 120 V circuit.
Watt vs Volt
The important difference between watt and volt is given below:
| Parameters | Watts | Volts |
| Definition | It is an SI unit of potential difference and EMF. | Taking a reading of Volts is very easy. |
| Formula | Watts = Current x Volts | Volts = (Potential energy)/(Charge) |
| Symbol | W. | V. |
| Difficulty in measurement | Taking a reading of the Watts is difficult since it requires the quantities of both voltage and current. | Watts gives a more realistic measurement of Power |
| Measurement | Watts gives a more realistic measurement of Power. | Volts describe a small portion of voltage from the power source. |
| Measuring Device | Power Meter. | Voltmeter. |
| Base Unit | KgM2A-1S-3 | KgM2S-3 |