Ohio Assessment for Educators (OAE) Integrated Science (024) Practice Exam

What is defined as the rate at which work is done?

1. Work

2. Energy

3. Power

4. Force

The correct answer is: Power

The rate at which work is done is referred to as power. Power quantifies how quickly energy is transferred or converted from one form to another during the performance of work. For example, if an engine does a certain amount of work in a shorter time compared to another engine that produces the same amount of work over a longer time, the first engine demonstrates a higher power output. This is commonly expressed in units like watts, where one watt is equivalent to one joule of work done per second. In contrast, work itself is defined as the product of force applied to an object and the distance over which that force is applied. Energy is the capacity to do work, but it does not inherently represent the rate of work. Force measures the push or pull on an object but does not address how quickly work is being performed. Thus, power is the concept that captures the essence of how fast work is being done, making it the correct answer.