We need to clearly define what amps and watts are before we discuss how to convert it.  Amps and watts are important measurements in electricity. The relationship between volts, watts, and amps are all defined in this article.

What is an Amp?

Amp is simply a unit of current which is defined in terms of other units. When we talk about electric current, it is just like the flow of water via a pipe. The current is stronger when more water passes through the hosepipe. Amps measure electricity flow in the form of an electric current. Also known as ampere, it is a constant current which generates a force equivalent to 2 x 10^-7 if placed in straight parallel conductors.

What is a Watt?

Watts is calculated by multiplying Amps b y Volts. Also, watts determine how much energy. When the wattage is more, the appliance generates more power and output. Watts is just like the amount of water that discharges from a hosepipe.

What is Volt?

Volts measure the amount of force that causes the flow of electric current. Also, Volts enables current to pass through. You can like volts to the pressure that pushes electrons between two points.

AC and DC Power Systems

AC is alternating current while DC is direct current. DC and AC are the main types of current flow you can expect in a circuit. Direct current will always pass through a particular direction while the direction of alternating current changes at 50 hertz. A torch that is powered by a battery talks about direct current. Meanwhile, AC supplies power to buildings and houses.

How to Convert Watts to Amps

You can convert watts to amps without any stress. However, you need to understand the kind of current you are working with.  All you just need is to understand how the formula works.

You can make use of Watt’s Law power formula when you need to convert watts to amps. According to this formula, the current is the power divided by voltage.

You can calculate amps when you are given voltage and power. Using the Watt’s law formula, we have

I(A) = P(W) / V(V)

Where:

 I(A) refers to amps

P(W) refers to power

V(V) refers to voltage

What is the Difference Between Watts and Amps?

Watts and amps are measurement units in electricity. These two terms are commonly used when talking about the amount of power a particular appliance consumes. There is a difference between these two. Watts measure power while amps measure the amount of current being drawn. Voltage can determine the amount of power.

You can measure watts and amps by using some instrument. However, it is much simpler and easier to measure amps since you are only required to connect an ammeter in series to the specified circuit. Measuring watts require a connection to an ammeter in series. You can measure watts of a particular appliance without using a wattmeter. All you need to do is to multiply 220V or 110V with the measurement of the current in amps.

Watts is simply the unit of power while amps define the unit of the flow of current. You can calculate Watts when you multiply Amps by voltage. Also, it is easier to measure amps than measuring watts. Since amps measure the unit of the flow of current, it is related to only electricity. However, watts define power in other forms of energy.

What is the Amount of Amps in a Watt?

With the above formula, it is easy to calculate the amount of amps of current gotten for every watt of power, based on the circuit voltage. For instance, you can draw 0.008333 amps of current to produce 1 watt of power. Also, you can draw 0.833 amps to produce 100 watts.

Watts and Amps are popular units for measuring electricity. It is impossible to directly change watts to amps or vice versa. This is because these units evaluate different electrical current.  We need to know how to convert watts to amps. There are different ways you can calculate from watt to Amps. These include:

AC Single-Phase Watts to Amps

The formula for calculating this is I(A) = PW/PF X Vv. Here, you multiply the power facto by the RMS voltage V and then use it to divide the Power to get the phase current which is in Amps.

DC Watts to Amps

The formula for this is similar to the one we discussed.

I(A) is equal to Power divided by Voltage. i.e  I(A)= Pw/Vv

Line to neutral voltage

The formula for converting watts to amps when the line to neutral voltage is already specified is:

I(A) = P(W) / VL-N(V) × PF × 3

This formula measures the amount of current in a three-phase system for three wires. Therefore, the result needs to be divided by three to measure the amount of current for a single wire.

Related Questions

When was Watt Invented and by who?

As explained above, watts measures electricity in units of power. This unit of measuring electricity was formally invented by James Watt.

How much is 1 ampere?

An ampere measures the rate at which electron flows or the amount of current present in an electrical conductor.  1 ampere refers to one coulomb of electrical charge. Ampere was discovered by a French physicist, Andre Marie Ampere.

What does a higher amp mean?

When the amp is higher, this means there is a quick flow of electricity. An electrical appliance will receive more power in such a case. Amps are important since there is a flow of current from one point to another via a wire. A low amp means that the flow of electricity is very low and as such this can lead to leakage in an electrical appliance.

Conclusion

It is easy to convert watts to amps using the watts to amp calculator and with the formulas provided above. The relationship between watts, volts, and amps are intertwined. In the year 1960, watt was generally adopted as a System of Units (SI).