Final answer:
A watt is the unit that measures the amount of electric energy used in 1 second. It is the product of current (in Amps) and voltage (in Volts). The energy consumption over time is measured in kilowatt-hours, which can also be expressed in joules.
Step-by-step explanation:
The unit that measures the amount of electric energy used in 1 second is a watt. This is defined by moving one Coulomb through one Volt every second, which results in one Joule of energy per second, known as one watt. In terms of electrical power, we can express this as P = IV, where 'I' is the current in Amps and 'V' is the voltage in Volts.
For example, household circuits in the U.S. are typically designed to support 15 to 20 Amps at a voltage of 120 V. This translates to a maximum power of 1,800 W or 2,400 W respectively. Moreover, the energy consumption over a period of time, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), is given by E = Pt, which is a way to track and estimate the cost of using electrical appliances.
A kilowatt-hour is an energy unit that can be converted to joules, where 1 kWh equals 3.6×106 J. Therefore, when energy is used at a constant rate, such as a 100-watt lightbulb, it utilizes 100 joules of energy every second.