Power magnitude comparison: Eighteen thousand watts corresponds to which standard SI-prefixed power unit?

Introduction / Context:
Choosing the correct SI prefix clarifies scale when specifying generators, heaters, or loads. Converting 18,000 W into a concise form demonstrates mastery of kilo, mega, milli, and micro prefixes for power.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Given power: 18,000 W.
• Prefixes: kilo (k) = 10^3, mega (M) = 10^6, milli (m) = 10^-3, micro (µ) = 10^-6.
• Goal: select the appropriate prefixed unit.

Concept / Approach:
Divide by 10^3 to get kilowatts when the value is in the thousands. Only one option should reflect 18 × 10^3 W correctly as 18 kW.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Reverse check: 18 kW * 1,000 = 18,000 W, confirming correctness precisely.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• 18 mW: Equals 0.018 W; many orders too small.
• 18 MW: Equals 18,000,000 W; three orders too large.
• 18 µW: Equals 0.000018 W; absurdly small for the context.

Common Pitfalls:

• Mistaking uppercase M (mega) for lowercase m (milli), which flips scale by 10^9.
• Forgetting to convert back to watts to sanity-check the result.

Final Answer:
18 kW