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Is the watt named for James Watt?

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It is! James Watt’s contribution to industry efficiency was commemorated by naming the watt (W) for him. The watt is the unit of power in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one joule of work performed per second. The watt was adopted as an SI unit in 1960, at the 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures. Today most electrical devices are rated in watts.

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Who was James Watt?

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James Watt was an 18th-century inventor and instrument maker. Although Watt invented and improved a number of industrial technologies, he is best remembered for his improvements to the steam engine. Watt’s steam engine design incorporated two of his own inventions: the separate condenser (1765) and the parallel motion (1784). The addition of these devices, among others, made Watt’s steam engine more efficient than other steam engines.

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