Watt to Milliwatt Converter

A watt (W) is the SI unit of power, defined as one joule per second. Named after Scottish inventor James Watt, it represents the rate of energy transfer and is fundamental to all power measurements in the International System of Units.

The watt was named after James Watt in 1882 and became the SI unit of power in 1960. It replaced various earlier power units and provided a unified measure based on the fundamental relationship between energy and time, becoming universal in scientific and technical applications.

Watts are universally used for all power measurements, from small electronic devices to large machinery. They're fundamental in electrical engineering, physics, energy efficiency ratings, and form the basis for all other power unit measurements.

A milliwatt (mW) is a unit of power equal to one thousandth of a watt (0.001 W). It represents very small amounts of power typically found in electronic devices, sensors, and low-power applications.

The milliwatt became important with the development of electronics and semiconductor technology. It provided an appropriate scale for describing the power consumption of transistors, integrated circuits, and electronic devices where power efficiency was crucial.

Milliwatts are used in electronics for component power ratings, laser output specifications, radio frequency applications, and low-power device design. They're standard for electronic component specifications, sensor power consumption, and precision instruments.