Word strength and power

Video Transcript
Section 1

Hello I’m Emma from mmmEnglish! In this lesson, I’m going to talk about two very similar English words. Power and strength. 

They’re both bold, strong, serious words and very similar in their meaning. But if you use these words incorrectly, it will start to sound unnatural or just a bit weird. So that’s why we’re going to spend a little time today talking about the differences between them.

Now we’re more familiar with these words when it comes to fitness, right? Power relates to energy and an ability to do something, whereas strength relates to muscles and also an ability to do something. It’s really easy to see physical power and strength in athletes, right? You can see it.

But they both have a more intangible, less visible meaning too. And that’s where these words often get confused by English learners.

Power

So the word power refers to the ability of somebody or something to change or affect something.

So physically, a sprinter, who’s someone who runs really fast over short distances, they need power to change their speed and position quickly. But it can refer to mechanical situations as well, where a machine does something. Or it can refer to social or political situations where a person or a group does something and this is often related to the ability to influence or control people or a situation.

Now, power can also refer to your internal ability to change a situation. You have the power to change your life if you really want to.

Strength

Now the word strength has a few different meanings but most relevant here is that it refers to a person’s physical or mental ability to do something. Obviously, it relates to physical strength, the strength of muscles to lift weights for example. But also mental strength, so the strength of your mind to believe in yourself, to persevere, to overcome problems and doubts.

Now, elite athletes are strong physically and mentally because they must believe that they are the best, to be able to perform at their best. When describing people’s ability to do something, power usually refers to control over yourself, control over others or control over a situation. So in some ways, this can be a negative expression of dominance or something that must be fought for or taken away from others.

Where strength is positive and often it comes from within, within a person or within a group. Generally, strength is a more positive and pure way of expressing an ability to do something. Both the words power and strength are nouns but just as common, are their adjective forms, powerful and strong, which, when used, tend to sound a little more informal.

She’s a strong and determined woman.
This is the most powerful and proactive government since the 1950s.

Strength can also mean an advantage or a positive part about you. In a job interview, you might get asked this question, “What are your strengths?“

For me, that’s the dreaded question! I hate having to talk about my strengths. But what are the good features or  characteristics that you have? That you’ll be able to use to help you do your job well.

One of her biggest strengths is her determination to succeed.

Keep in mind that strength has a direct opposite. Weakness. But power does not have a direct opposite. We would just say lack of power or describe someone as powerless, unable to change a situation. The community were powerless to stop the resort development.

Well, that’s it! If you enjoyed this lesson, there are plenty more coming, just like it. So make sure you subscribe to my channel just down there. And make sure that you’re getting all of my new lessons but you can just keep watching right now.

Here are a couple of other lessons from my collection. Thanks for watching and I’ll see you next week. Bye for now!

mmmEnglish Video Lessons are a series of video lessons created to build confidence in English learners and focus on English in daily life. Download them and watch them anywhere! Subscribe to my YouTube Channel to be the first to get my new videos, and come and say hi on my Facebook page!!

Strength and power are similar terms with almost similar meanings, but they are not the same.

Even today, some people confuse these two terms because they think they are the same wherever they use them.

I also have made the mistake of not knowing the real difference between these two terms.

Strength means the amount of force of muscles or a group of muscles that can exert an external load, whereas the meaning of power is the ability to generate force.

These terms have two meanings and therefore have different uses in a sentence.

In other words, we can say that strength means focusing on the force, whereas power is the actual combination of force and speed.

Both these terms are used to determine the ability of something or someone. Suppose this machine has the strength to pull 50kgs of the load.

Key Takeaways

1. Strength refers to the ability to exert force, while power refers to the ability to exert force quickly.
2. The maximum weight typically measures strength lifted or maximum force exerted, while power is measured by how quickly that force can be exerted.
3. Strength is important for activities that require prolonged force exertion, while power is important for activities that require quick bursts of force, such as sprinting or jumping.

The difference between strength and power is the meaning of the two terms. Strength means force, while power means the combination of force and speed. Other than the meaning, these terms are used differently when explaining physics, politics, sports, and other such pieces.

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Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Strength	Power
Speed	Strength does not focus on speed.	Power, on the other hand, focuses on speed.
Functional Activities	Less relevant.	More relevant.
Sports	Less utilized	Highly utilized
Electricity	Less relevant while using as a term	More relevant when used as a term.
Lifting	Mostly used	Not that much is used.
Mathematics	Not used in mathematical terms.	It is used in mathematical terms.

What is Strength?

Strength is nothing but focusing on the force. Well, different people will have different opinions about the term strength.

But they must know that the term will have the same meaning no matter what. The term strength also indicates how physically strong someone is.

Take an example: Raj does not have the strength to do his homework after returning from his football practice.

Here, the sentence means that Raj does not have the power to complete his homework because he is tired after his football practice. The use of word strength is used to denote the term strong.

However, other than that, the term is used for several disciplines like psychology, politics, and physics.

In terms of psychology come the character strengths like bravery, motivation, courage, and justice. In terms of politics comes the strength of a party or, say, suppose, the strength of the military.

In terms of physics, the term can be used as compressive strength, which means withstanding pushing force. Under physics, other terms are used, like tensile strength, shear strength, explosive strength, and field strength.

All of them have different meanings according to their usage.

What is Power?

Power, on the other hand, focuses on the combination of force and speed. ‘Power’ comes from the Latin word ‘posse,’ which means ‘be able.’

However, this term has different uses according to its principles.

Some of the most common principles where this term is used are mathematics, physics, electricity, and politics. You see, politics is the common principle in both of these terms.

According to mathematics principles, this term is used in Exponentiation, power of a point, and statistical power.

In physics, power is used as the work rate over time and for understanding magnification.

In terms of electrical electric power is used to denote how much electric power is utilized.

In politics, the term is used for a particular party’s political or social power. The leading party will have the most power.

If you see that these two terms differ in terms of their usage according to the principles.

Main Differences Between Strength and Power

1. The term strength comes from the Old English word ‘strengbu’ while the term power comes from the Latin word ‘posse,’ which means ‘be able.’
2. Strength generally focuses on force, whereas power combines speed and force.
3. Speed is not considered in the case of strength, but it is considered in the case of power.
4. When comparing strength and power in terms of sports then, power is more utilized than strength.
5. Regarding machine-related energy, ‘power’ is used, not ‘strength.’
6. The term strength has a direct opposite word, ‘ weakness,’ whereas there is no direct opposite word for ‘power,’ but the opposite can be denoted as ‘lack of power.’
7. The term power is used in mathematics, whereas there is almost none or few usages of the term strength.

References

1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-199519060-00004
2. https://brainmass.com/file/149510/Article.pdf

Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.

This will be my last blog entry for 2014. I’ve decided to go back to this blog’s most popular topic: the difference between words. This time I want to write about the difference between the nouns “power” and “strength”.

The word “power” refers to the capacity of a group, person or machine to do something. This word can refer to a mechanical situation (a machine) or something political or social (a group or person). For example:

This car doesn’t have enough power to pull that trailer.

I think there’s enough power left in this battery to play my music for another two hours.

My sister has the power to persuade anyone to do anything.

It seems like most politicians these days only run for office to gain power.

The word “strength” refers to a person’s physical capability to do something. In other words, we’re talking about their ability to use their muscles to do something. For example:

I don’t have enough strength in my upper body to lift that desk.

In order to increase your strength you should work out at the gym more often.

We can also use the word “strength” to talk about an advantage that a certain person or group has that makes it more likely for them to be successful. For example:

I have many strengths, but my biggest strength is my ability to communicate with other people.

The strength of that baseball team comes from their ability to work together as a team.

The word “strength” has a direct opposite which is the word “weakness*. However, “power” does not have a direct opposite. If we want to express its opposite, we would just say “lack of power”.

As I mentioned, these words are nouns. However, we often use the adjective forms which are “powerful” and “strong”. In regular conversation in English, it’s often more natural to use the adjective forms as it sounds more casual. Using nouns forms very often can make the sentences sound technical and formal.

I hope everyone has had a great 2014, and I wish you all Happy New Year! All the best to you in 2015!

Power and strength are often seen as synonymous words as they both depict an ability to do something and the state of being at an advantage. However, these two have different meanings and it may sometimes sound strange if they would be used interchangeably. Power is the combination of force and speed while strength generally focuses on force. The following discussions further delve into their distinctions.  

What is Power?

“Power” came from the Latin word “posse” which means “be able”. It is usually defined as the ability to generate an outcome, having the authority, being mighty, or moving with force. Specifically, the following disciplines have their respective definitions of power: 

• Math

-Exponentiation: The operation of increasing one quantity to a certain power such as “seven raised to the third power is equal to three hundred forty-three (7 ³   =343)”

-Power of a Point: This is also known as power of a circle or circle power. This is represented by “h” in the formula: h= s²-r²  ; where “s” stands for the distance and “r” for radius. 

-Statistical Power: This ranges from zero to one and it determines the probability of incorrectly accepting or rejecting the hypotheses. 

• Physics

-Power: This is a scalar quantity that is computed by determining the rate of work over time. 

-Magnification: A magnification power of 1 and above denotes an enlargement while a number less than one refers to de-magnification. 

• Electricity

-Electric Power: The utilization of electric current to energize various equipment. 

• Politics

-Political or Social Power: This refers to the ability to influence situations or people 

What is Strength?

“Strength” came from the Old English word, “strengþu” which translates to “force, firmness, bodily power, and moral resistance”. It is largely defined as the capacity for endurance or exertion and is synonymous with might and sinew. The following disciplines have their respective utilizations of the term “strength”: 

• Psychology

-Character Strengths: It covers positive traits such as wisdom, courage, justice, and transcendence. 

-Persuasive Strength: The ability of an argument to convince others. 

-Willpower: The capacity to regulate behavior in response to temptations 

• Politics

-Party Strength: The level of representation of a political party in various areas. 

-Military Strength: This is measured by combat readiness, force structure, and sustainable capability. 

• Physics

-Compressive Strength: This is the ability to withstand pushing force. 

-Tensile Strength: This is the maximum stress endured when being stretched. 

-Shear Strength: The toughness of a material against deformation. 

-Explosive Strength: The ability of an explosive to move materials within the perimeter. 

-Field Strength: This is a field vector’s magnitude. 

Difference between Power and Strength

1. Etymology

Power came from the Latin word “posse” which means “be able” while “strength” came from the Old English word, “strengþu” which translates to “force, firmness, bodily power, and moral resistance”.

1. Speed

Power is defined as the combination of speed and force while strength generally focuses on force. Power is more dynamic as it covers the capability of quickly producing force. 

1. Functional Activities

As compared to strength, power is more relevant to the performance of functional activities such as walking up the stairs and running as it entails movement. 

1. Sports

As compared to strength, power is more utilized in sports than strength as plyometric movements are incorporated in almost all competitions. 

1. Electricity

The ability of a device to run is dependent on electric power. Strength is not used for such machine-related energy. 

1. Direct Opposite

The direct opposite of strength is “weakness”. On the other hand, power has no direct antonym; for instance, “lack of power”. 

1. Diplomacy

Unlike strength, power is utilized in diplomatic terms. For instance, hard power means coercion is used while soft power is the manipulation of cultural and other abstract factors and smart power is the combination of both hard and soft powers. 

1. Lifting 

As compared to power, strength is more related to lifting as it is concerned with the physical energy against gravity. 

1. Character

As compared to power, strength is more often associated with describing one’s character. For instance, the usual question during interviews is, “Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses”. 

1. Developmental Dimensions 

Power is more often connected with an individual’s physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual dimensions while strength is usually understood in the context of physical capacity. 

1. Mathematics

Unlike strength, power is used in mathematical terms such as exponential power, power of a point, and statistical power. 

1. Unit

The unit for power is watt (W) while that of strength is mostly related to “stress” in physics, specifically material science, which uses Pascal (Pa). 

Power vs Strength: Comparison Chart

Summary of Power vs Strength

• Power and strength are often seen as synonymous words as they both depict an ability to do something and the state of being at an advantage.
• Both power and strength are associated with several disciplines like physics and politics. 
• “Power” came from the Latin word “posse” which means “be able”.
• “Strength” came from the Old English word, “strengþu” which translates to “force, firmness, bodily power, and moral resistance”.
• Power is the combination of force and speed while strength generally focuses on force. 
• Unlike strength, power is more associated with functional activities, sports, diplomacy, electricity, and mathematics. 
• As compared to strength, power can cover more developmental dimensions regarding context. 
• Lifting generally makes use of strength more than power. 
• The unit for power is Watt while that of strength in material science (stress) is Pascal. 

Strength — это физическая или моральная сила:

Do you have strength to run 10 kilometres?

У тебя есть силы, чтобы пробежать 10 километров?

I don’t think she has enough character strength to overcome her fears.

Я не думаю, что у нее достаточно силы характера, чтобы преодолеть свои страхи.

Strength — это «сильная сторона»:

I know my strengths and my weaknesses better that anyone else. 

Я знаю свои сильные и слабые стороны лучше, чем кто-либо другой.

Power — это способность контролировать людей или события, подчинять своей воле, быть влиятельным:

Mary has no power over her kids.

У Мэри нет никакой власти над ее детьми.

Power — это политический контроль, который имеет один человек или группа людей в государстве:

He has absolute power.

Он обладает абсолютной властью.

Power — это мощь, физическая сила, мощность:

That motor doesn’t have enough power.

У того двигателя недостаточно мощности.

The economic power of China has grown greatly in recent years.

Экономическая сила Китая значительно возросла в последние годы.

I was shook by the power of the volcano. 

Я был потрясен мощью вулкана. 

Force — это физическая, особенно жестокая сила или мощь: 

The force of tsunami destroyed hundreds of houses last year.

Сила цунами уже разрушила сотни домов в прошлом году.

The police are allowed to use force in case of riots.

Полиции разрешено применять силу в случае беспорядков.

Force — это человек или объект, который обладает влиянием и энергией, мощью, силой:

He is a powerful force in politics.

Он – влиятельный человек в политике.

I wish I could control the forces of nature. 

Хотел бы я уметь контролировать силы природы.

Force — это группа людей, организованная и обученная, специально для определенной цели:

Ben joined air force in 1998.

Бен вступил в ВВС в 1998.

Are you a part of the police force?

Вы работаете в полиции?