Convert Power from Foot-pounds per second to Megawatts (ft-lb/s to MW)

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Single conversion

Foot-pound per second to Megawatt Conversion Formula

To convert from Foot-pound per second (ft-lb/s) to Megawatt (MW), use the following formula:

Megawatt (MW)

= 10.737562149 × 1106× Foot-pound per second (ft-lb/s)

= 0.0000013558179488410813229× Foot-pound per second (ft-lb/s)

With 10.737562149 is the ratio between the base units Watt (W) and Foot-pound per second (ft-lb/s).


Example

Let's convert 5 Foot-pound per second (ft-lb/s) to Megawatt (MW).

Using the formula:

5 × 0.0000013558179488410813229 = 0.0000067790897442054066145

Therefore, 5 Foot-pound per second (ft-lb/s) is equal to 0.0000067790897442054066145 Megawatt (MW).

How many foot-pounds per second are in one megawatt? One Megawatt (MW) contains 737562.149 Foot-pounds per second (ft-lb/s) — the inverse of the factor above. Multiplying by 0.0000013558179488410813229 takes you from foot-pounds per second to megawatts; multiplying by 737562.149 brings you back.

Put in words: one foot-pound per second equals 0.0000013558179488410813229 megawatts, so the foot-pound per second is the smaller unit of this pair. Converting between them never changes the amount of power being measured — only the size of the unit you count it in.

What is a Foot-pound per second (ft-lb/s)?

A Foot-pound per second (ft-lb/s) is a base unit of power in the imperial system.

The plural form is 'foot-pounds per second'.


How is Power Measured in the Imperial System?

The foot-pound per second (ft-lb/s) is a key unit of power in the Imperial and US customary systems of measurement.

In simple terms, it measures the rate at which work is done or energy is transferred.

Specifically, one foot-pound per second is the power expended when a force of one pound-force moves an object a distance of one foot in one second.


How to Convert Foot-Pounds per Second (ft-lb/s) to HP and Watts

For many practical engineering and physics applications, you'll need to convert ft-lb/s to other common units of power.

The conversion formulas are straightforward:

  • 550 foot-pounds per second is precisely equal to 1 horsepower (hp).
  • 1 foot-pound per second is approximately equal to 1.3558 watts (W), the SI unit of power.

These essential conversions allow for easy comparison and power calculation across different measurement systems.


What is an Example of a Foot-Pound per Second?

The foot-pound per second can be visualized as the power required to counteract gravity by lifting a one-pound object vertically by one foot in the span of one second.

This practical definition illustrates the concept of power as the rate of doing work.

This makes the power calculation a tangible way to understand the output of engines, machines, and other mechanical systems.

What is a Megawatt (MW)?

A megawatt (MW) is a unit used to measure power.

It's equal to one million watts.

To put it simply, it's a way to describe a huge amount of electricity being used or generated at a single moment.


How Many Homes Can 1 MW Power?

One megawatt (1 MW) can power between 750 and 1,000 homes at any given moment.

This number can change depending on what's running in each home (like air conditioning on a hot day).

It's a helpful estimate used by grid operators to understand how much electricity a community needs.


The Difference: Megawatt (MW) vs. Megawatt-hour (MWh)

It's easy to mix up megawatts (MW) and megawatt-hours (MWh). Here's a simple way to understand the difference between MW vs. MWh:

  • Megawatt (MW) measures power, or how fast energy is being used right now. Think of it as the speed of electricity.
  • Megawatt-hour (MWh) measures energy, or the total amount of electricity used over a period of time. This is the volume of electricity used.

So, a power plant has a capacity measured in MW (how much electricity it can make at once).

In contrast, your electricity bill shows your consumption in MWh (how much you actually used over a month).


How Big is a Megawatt? Real-World Examples

A megawatt is a tremendous amount of power. To understand its scale, here's a look at the capacity of different power sources:

  • Onshore Wind Turbine: 2 to 5 MW
  • Utility-Scale Solar Farm: 50 to 500 MW
  • Modern Nuclear Power Plant: Over 1,000 MW (which is 1 gigawatt or GW)

Foot-pound per second to Megawatt Conversion Table

Here are some quick reference conversions from Foot-pound per second (ft-lb/s) to Megawatt (MW):

Foot-pounds per secondMegawatts
0.000001 ft-lb/s1.3558179488410813229× 10-12 MW
0.001 ft-lb/s1.3558179488410813229× 10-9 MW
0.1 ft-lb/s1.3558179488410813229× 10-7 MW
1 ft-lb/s0.0000013558179488410813229 MW
2 ft-lb/s0.0000027116358976821626458 MW
3 ft-lb/s0.0000040674538465232439687 MW
4 ft-lb/s0.0000054232717953643252916 MW
5 ft-lb/s0.0000067790897442054066145 MW
6 ft-lb/s0.0000081349076930464879374 MW
7 ft-lb/s0.0000094907256418875692603 MW
8 ft-lb/s0.000010846543590728650583 MW
9 ft-lb/s0.000012202361539569731906 MW
10 ft-lb/s0.000013558179488410813229 MW
20 ft-lb/s0.000027116358976821626458 MW
30 ft-lb/s0.000040674538465232439687 MW
40 ft-lb/s0.000054232717953643252916 MW
50 ft-lb/s0.000067790897442054066145 MW
100 ft-lb/s0.00013558179488410813229 MW
1000 ft-lb/s0.0013558179488410813229 MW
10000 ft-lb/s0.013558179488410813229 MW