Final answer:
Power is the ability to exercise one's will over others, whereas authority is a form of power accepted by those who are governed because it is perceived as legitimate and reasonable.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ability to get someone else to do something that you want done is called power. Authority refers to accepted power—that is, power that people agree to follow, often enforced through rational-legal authority, where power is legitimized by rules, regulations, and laws, or through traditional authority, which is legitimized on the basis of long-standing customs.
In contrast to brute strength or coercion, authority figures are obeyed because people feel that these individuals are worthy of respect and that their directives are reasonable and beneficial.
While authority is a form of power, there is a distinction between the two concepts. Authority must be justified by the governed and is more concerned with the right to rule, not just the mere capacity to enforce compliance.
This is why, for instance, a government's power extends beyond its own citizens and can impact other nation-states through various forms of influence such as diplomacy, economic sanctions, or military intervention.