Voltampere

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A measure of electrical power defined as the product of voltage and current, commonly utilized in the analysis of electrical systems
2. This unit represents the combined effect of one volt and one ampere in generating power, significant in computing electrical load
3. A unit measuring the electric power resulting from the multiplication of voltage by current, which is vital in assessing power consumption in circuits

Etymology: The volt-ampere is named for two people whose work on electricity gave their names to units. The volt honours the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, who built the voltaic pile, an early battery made of stacked discs of zinc and copper separated by brine-soaked cloth. The ampere honours the French physicist André-Marie Ampère, whose studies of electric current and magnetism helped lay the foundations of electrodynamics. Combining the two names makes sense because power is the product of voltage and current. A volt-ampere therefore measures the rate at which electrical energy is delivered, and it is the natural unit for describing apparent power in alternating-current circuits, where the voltage and current do not always peak together.