How do you Convert Watts to Amps?
There are a number of different common terms used to measure electrical current or the power of an electrical circuit. Three of these common terms are watts, volts, and amps. Sometimes, it may become necessary to convert from one of these measurement tools to the other.
Bug Club.org has published a handy list of formulas used in the field of electricity and electricity measurement. According to this list, to convert from watts to amps, you will need to divide the number of watts that you are trying to solve for, by the number of volts in the system. In the United States, this is usually 110 or 120 volts, but may be as high as 208 or 240 volts in a common household application. In other words:
- AMPS = Watts / Voltage
- I = P ÷ E
Using this simple calculation, converting watts to amps is easy.
Why Convert Watts to Amps?
In general, things like the power of a blender (commonly measured in watts) or the power usage required by a light bulb (also expressed in watts) may need to be figured into an amperage calculation, while certain larger applicances and power tools (such as refrigerators and saws) may be measured in amp draw, like a 5.3 amp circular saw.
Converting to watts may be necessary in these cases to determine how much one of these tools will cost to operate. For example, your cost of electricity is measured in kilowatt hours, or 1,000 watts per hour. This means, a 5.3 amp circular saw will use something like six kilowatt hours to operate for one hour at a high rate of speed.
So, now you know how to convert watts to amps and when and why this conversion may be important. If you need to do other electrical conversions, you can also visit the Bug Club website linked to above where there is a full list of conversion formulas.