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Electrical Power Examples

These worked examples apply the power triangle relationship and Ohm's-law-style power formulas to find real power, apparent power, reactive power, and power factor.

  1. Step 1

    A load draws 120 V and 10 A at a power factor of 0.85. Find the real power.

    P = V × I × PF = 120 × 10 × 0.85 = 1020 W

  2. Step 2

    The same load has an apparent power of 1200 VA. Find the power factor.

    PF = P ÷ S = 1020 ÷ 1200 = 0.85

  3. Step 3

    A circuit has 1020 W of real power and 1200 VA of apparent power. Find the reactive power.

    Q = √(S² − P²) = √(1200² − 1020²) ≈ 632.5 VAR

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