What is power in physics?

• A. The energy of motion.
• B. The type of energy stored in an object due to its position.
• C. The rate at which work is done or energy is transferred.
• D. The temperature at which a substance changes state.

Answer: (C)

Power is the rate at which work is done or energy is transferred. It tells you how quickly energy moves from one form to another or from one object to another. The same amount of energy can be transferred, but doing it faster means higher power. The unit is the watt, which equals one joule per second. For example, lifting a weight quickly transfers energy in a shorter time, so the power during that lift is higher than if you lift it slowly, even though the total energy change is the same. The other ideas describe energy types or temperature, not the speed of energy transfer.