Engineering English
Average Power
Electrical Engineering · Last updated: July 30, 2026 · How this entry was written
Definition: Average power in an AC circuit is the mean over one cycle of the instantaneous power, equal to the product of RMS voltage, RMS current, and the cosine of the phase angle. It represents the actual power dissipated by a load.
Example in context
“To size a resistor in an AC circuit, calculate the average power it must dissipate to ensure it operates within its thermal rating.”
“Bir AC devresindeki direnci boyutlandırmak için, termal değerleri dahilinde çalışmasını sağlamak üzere harcaması gereken ortalama gücü hesaplayın.”
Where engineers use it
Average power is fundamental in AC power calculations to determine energy consumption and component heating. Engineers use it for specifying resistors, transformers, and power supplies in sinusoidal steady-state conditions.
Synonyms: active power, real power
Antonyms: reactive power
Practice: can you use “Average Power” at work?
You are designing a power supply filter. Calculate the average power dissipated by the series resistor when the output voltage is 12V RMS and the load current is 2A with a phase angle of 30 degrees.
Show a model answer
“Compute the average power delivered to the load using RMS values.”
“Average Power” in 21 languages
| English | Average Power |
|---|---|
| Turkish | ortalama güç |
| French | puissance moyenne |
| German | Wirkleistung |
| Spanish | potencia media |
| Chinese | 平均功率 |
| Arabic | متوسط القدرة |
| Portuguese | potência média |
| Russian | средняя мощность |
| Japanese | 平均電力 |
| Italian | potenza media |
| Vietnamese | công suất trung bình |
| Hindi | औसत शक्ति |
| Thai | กำลังไฟฟ้าเฉลี่ย |
| Indonesian | daya rata-rata |
| Korean | 평균 전력 |
| Bengali | গড় ক্ষমতা |
| Dutch | gemiddeld vermogen |
| Swedish | medeleffekt |
| Finnish | keskiteho |
| Ukrainian | середня потужність |
Frequently asked questions
What does Average Power mean in engineering?
Average power in an AC circuit is the mean over one cycle of the instantaneous power, equal to the product of RMS voltage, RMS current, and the cosine of the phase angle. It represents the actual power dissipated by a load. In Electrical Engineering, the term carries a usage-frequency rating of 10/10 in the Engineering English library.
How do you pronounce Average Power?
Average Power is pronounced /ˈævərɪdʒ ˈpaʊər/ (IPA). The Engineering English app plays audio for the term and checks your pronunciation with speech recognition.
How is Average Power used in a sentence?
Example from an engineering context: “To size a resistor in an AC circuit, calculate the average power it must dissipate to ensure it operates within its thermal rating.”
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