the efficiency of truth: introducing the jot

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we are addicted to a lie called the “watt-hour.”

it is a derived unit that exists solely because we refuse to acknowledge that our time system (base-60) and our math system (base-10) are incompatible. we measure energy flow in seconds (watts), but we live our lives in hours. to bridge the gap, we created a unit that requires us to multiply a rate by a time to get a static quantity, only to divide it back out again to understand the flow.

it is inefficient. it is irrational. and in the age of l.e.d. lighting and electric vehicles, it has become absurd.

the solution: the jot (jt)

we need a unit that respects the human experience of time. i propose the jot.

definition: joule over time (1 jot=1 joule/ hour).
why: it anchors power to the hour, which is how we actually plan our day.

in this system, energy is measured simply in joules (the base unit of reality), and power is measured in jots (the rate of consumption per hour).

the conversion: 3.6 is the magic number

because a watt is defined by seconds (1 joule/ second) and a jot is defined by hours (1 joule/ hour), the conversion is simply the number of seconds in an hour: 3,600.

1 watt = 3.6 kilojots (k.jt). a watt is fast; it delivers 3,600 joules in the time a jot delivers 1.
1 terawatt-hour = 3.6 petajoules (p.j.). stop saying “terawatt-hour.” it is 5 syllables. “petajoule” is 3 syllables and physically pure.

use case 1: the l.e.d. lie

the absurdity of the current system peaks at the hardware store. you buy a “100-watt equivalent” l.e.d. that actually draws 14 watts. the label is a lie based on a defunct technology.

in the jot system, we just tell the truth. we label the brightness as 1,600 lumens (the actual output) and the power as 50 kilojots (50 k.jt).

(note: 14 watts × 3.6 = 50.4, rounded to 50 for the consumer rating)

now look at the billing math. if you run a 50 kilojot bulb for 10 hours:

50×10=500 kilojoules

no conversion factors. no hidden “billing unit” versus “physics unit.” the rate is 50. the time is 10. the cost is 500.

by aligning our unit of power with our unit of time, the “watt-hour” disappears, replaced by the pure, utility-maximizing truth of the joule.

use case 2: the battery disaster

right now, battery labeling is a disaster of obfuscation. manufacturers use “milliamp-hours” (m.a.h.) to hide the actual energy capacity, forcing you to guess the voltage to know how much power you actually have.

the current mess

battery: “10,000 m.a.h.” (at what voltage? usually 3.7v, but who knows).
device: a portable fan rated at “2 watts.”
the mental math: first convert m.a.h. to w.h. (10,000×3.7/1,000=37 w.h.), then divide by power (37/2=18.5 hours).

verdict: impossible to do in your head.

the jot solution

in a jot-based world, energy is just energy (joules), and power is just rate (jots). there is no voltage ambiguity.

battery: 133 kilojoules (absolute capacity).
device: 7.2 kilojots (2 watts ≈ 7.2 k.jt).
the mental math: 133/7.2≈18 hours.

verdict: simple integer division. capacity divided by flow equals time.

use case 3: the solar scale

when we talk about grid infrastructure, the numbers get abstract. a “100 megawatt” utility-scale solar farm is impressive, but how much energy does it actually yield?

in the jot system, the conversion naturally bumps the metric prefix up by one level: megawatts become gigajots.

facility: 100 megawatt solar farm.
rating: 360 gigajots (360 g.jt).

this tells you the physical reality immediately: in one hour of peak sunlight, this facility dumps 360 gigajoules of energy onto the grid.

if that farm runs at peak for 5 hours?

360 g.jt×5 hours=1,800 gigajoules (or 1.8 terajoules)

we stop measuring production in “megawatt-hours” (a derived unit of a derived unit) and start measuring it in the actual quantity of energy harvested.

conclusion

we cling to the watt-hour because of legacy, not logic. by shifting our frame of reference to the jot, we align the physics of energy with the reality of human scheduling.