[Cboldt]

The abilty to provoke destruction is a -force- question, not a -power- question.

Agreed, once started, the power (force times distance) question comes into play. But the force of my half-ton ass on the couch provides -no- power until the couch is broken. Meanwhile, I am dead weight, and (only) if enough weight, I break the couch.

[Born in a Rage]

Wow. I hope you're some kind of math or science teacher/professor. I read all of the 'math posts' and they gave my non-math mind a headache until I read your post...ahh, relief. Now, I kind of get what you have all been discussing :-)

[thecabal]

The abilty to provoke destruction is a -force- question, not a -power- question.

Agreed, once started, the power (force times distance) question comes into play. But the force of my half-ton ass on the couch provides -no- power until the couch is broken. Meanwhile, I am dead weight, and (only) if enough weight, I break the couch.

You are confusing power and work. Work is force times distance (assuming the force vector and displacment vector is in the same direction). Power is the rate of work (energy divided by time).