Engineering Reference · Formulas

Electrical Formulas & Units

Useful electrical equations with the conditions under which they're valid. Every formula connects to a working KiloVolt calculator.

Use the assumptions, not just the equation. Units and operating conditions are shown beside each expression. Ideal reactance or balanced-system formulas should not be treated as validated measurements for complex equipment.
Measurement conventions

SI prefixes & common units

SymbolPrefixFactor
Ggiga10⁹
Mmega10⁶
kkilo10³
mmilli10⁻³
µmicro10⁻⁶
nnano10⁻⁹
ppico10⁻¹²

Examples from field work

1 MVA = 1,000 kVA

1 kA = 1,000 A

1 mH = 0.001 H

1 µF = 0.000001 F

1 kΩ = 1,000 Ω

Use k (lowercase) for kilo and M (uppercase) for mega. kVA, kW and kvar describe different power quantities.

Source: NIST Guide to the SI ↗

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