EngiRef / Electrical Engineering Formula

Electrical Power (I²R)

Electrical Power (I²R): Power dissipated in a resistance. A DC Circuits formula in electrical engineering. Variables P, I and R, each with SI and imperial…

DC Circuits

Specification

Name
Electrical Power (I²R)
Discipline
electrical
Category
DC Circuits
LaTeX
P = I^2R
Description
Power dissipated in a resistance
Conditions
Resistive element; DC or RMS for sinusoidal AC
Can solve for
P, I, R
Tags
power, current, resistance, joule

Variables

Variables for Electrical Power (I²R)
SymbolNameUnitSi Unit
PPowerWW
ICurrentAA
RResistanceΩΩ

Common questions

What is the Electrical Power (I²R) formula?
Power dissipated in a resistance. It sits under DC Circuits, Electrical engineering in the EngiRef reference.
What do the symbols in the Electrical Power (I²R) formula mean?
In Electrical Power (I²R), P is power in W; I is current in A; R is resistance in Ω.
When does the Electrical Power (I²R) formula apply?
Electrical Power (I²R) holds under this condition: Resistive element; DC or RMS for sinusoidal AC.