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How did the electrical unit "watt" originate?

The watt is named for the Scottish engineer and inventor James Watt (1736-1819). The watt is a unit of electric power. Wattage is also expressed in terms of watt-hours, the amount of work an appliance can accomplish. For instance, when a 60-watt light bulb operates for one hour, it uses 60 watt-hours. Meters located outside of homes generally measure electricity usage in kilowatt-hours.

Sources: Barnes-Svarney, Patricia.The New York Public Library Science Desk Reference, p. 292; Book Encyclopedia, vol. 21, p. 148.

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