<< Chapter < Page Chapter >> Page >

Making connections: take-home experiment—electrical energy use inventory

1) Make a list of the power ratings on a range of appliances in your home or room. Explain why something like a toaster has a higher rating than a digital clock. Estimate the energy consumed by these appliances in an average day (by estimating their time of use). Some appliances might only state the operating current. If the household voltage is 120 V, then use P = IV size 12{P = ital "IV"} {} . 2) Check out the total wattage used in the rest rooms of your school’s floor or building. (You might need to assume the long fluorescent lights in use are rated at 32 W.) Suppose that the building was closed all weekend and that these lights were left on from 6 p.m. Friday until 8 a.m. Monday. What would this oversight cost? How about for an entire year of weekends?

Section summary

  • Electric power P size 12{P} {} is the rate (in watts) that energy is supplied by a source or dissipated by a device.
  • Three expressions for electrical power are
    P = IV, size 12{P = ital "IV,"} {}
    P = V 2 R , size 12{P = { {V rSup { size 8{2} } } over {R} } ","} {}

    and

    P = I 2 R . size 12{P = I rSup { size 8{2} } R"."} {}
  • The energy used by a device with a power P size 12{P} {} over a time t size 12{t} {} is E = Pt size 12{E = ital "Pt"} {} .

Conceptual questions

Why do incandescent lightbulbs grow dim late in their lives, particularly just before their filaments break?

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

The power dissipated in a resistor is given by P = V 2 / R size 12{P = V rSup { size 8{2} } /R} {} , which means power decreases if resistance increases. Yet this power is also given by P = I 2 R size 12{P = I rSup { size 8{2} } R} {} , which means power increases if resistance increases. Explain why there is no contradiction here.

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Problem exercises

What is the power of a 1.00 × 10 2 MV lightning bolt having a current of 2.00 × 10 4 A ?

2 . 00 × 10 12 W size 12{2 "." "00"´"10" rSup { size 8{"12"} } " W"} {}

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

What power is supplied to the starter motor of a large truck that draws 250 A of current from a 24.0-V battery hookup?

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

A charge of 4.00 C of charge passes through a pocket calculator’s solar cells in 4.00 h. What is the power output, given the calculator’s voltage output is 3.00 V? (See [link] .)

Got questions? Get instant answers now!
Photograph of a small calculator having a strip of solar cells just above the keys.
The strip of solar cells just above the keys of this calculator convert light to electricity to supply its energy needs. (credit: Evan-Amos, Wikimedia Commons)

How many watts does a flashlight that has 6.00 × 10 2 C pass through it in 0.500 h use if its voltage is 3.00 V?

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Find the power dissipated in each of these extension cords: (a) an extension cord having a 0 . 0600 - Ω size 12{0 "." "0600-" %OMEGA } {} resistance and through which 5.00 A is flowing; (b) a cheaper cord utilizing thinner wire and with a resistance of 0 . 300 Ω . size 12{0 "." "300" %OMEGA } {}

(a) 1.50 W

(b) 7.50 W

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Verify that the units of a volt-ampere are watts, as implied by the equation P = IV size 12{P = ital "IV"} {} .

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Show that the units 1 V 2 / Ω = 1 W size 12{1" V" rSup { size 8{2} } / %OMEGA =1" W"} {} , as implied by the equation P = V 2 / R size 12{P = V rSup { size 8{2} } /R} {} .

V 2 Ω = V 2 V/A = AV = C s J C = J s = 1 W

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Show that the units 1 A 2 Ω = 1 W size 12{1" V" rSup { size 8{2} } / %OMEGA =1" W"} {} , as implied by the equation P = I 2 R size 12{P = I rSup { size 8{2} } R} {} .

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Verify the energy unit equivalence that 1 kW h = 3 . 60 × 10 6 J size 12{1" kW" cdot "h = 3" "." "60"´"10" rSup { size 8{6} } " J"} {} .

1 kW h= 1 × 10 3 J 1 s 1 h 3600 s 1 h = 3 . 60 × 10 6 J size 12{1" kW" cdot "h=" left ( { {1 times "10" rSup { size 8{3} } " J"} over {"1 s"} } right ) left (1" h" right ) left ( { {"3600"" s"} over {"1 h"} } right )=3 "." "60" times "10" rSup { size 8{6} } " J"} {}

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Electrons in an X-ray tube are accelerated through 1.00 × 10 2 kV and directed toward a target to produce X-rays. Calculate the power of the electron beam in this tube if it has a current of 15.0 mA.

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

An electric water heater consumes 5.00 kW for 2.00 h per day. What is the cost of running it for one year if electricity costs 12.0 cents /kW h size 12{"12" "." 0" cents/kW" cdot h} {} ? See [link] .

Photograph of an electric hot water heater connected to the electric and water supply
On-demand electric hot water heater. Heat is supplied to water only when needed. (credit: aviddavid, Flickr)

$438/y

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Questions & Answers

summarize halerambos & holbon
David Reply
the Three stages of Auguste Comte
Clementina Reply
what are agents of socialization
Antonio Reply
sociology of education
Nuhu Reply
definition of sociology of education
Nuhu
what is culture
Abdulrahim Reply
shared beliefs, values, and practices
AI-Robot
What are the two type of scientific method
ogunniran Reply
I'm willing to join you
Aceng Reply
what are the scientific method of sociology
Man
what is socialization
ogunniran Reply
the process wherein people come to understand societal norms and expectations, to accept society's beliefs, and to be aware of societal values
AI-Robot
scientific method in doing research
ogunniran
defimition of sickness in afica
Anita
Cosmology
ogunniran
Hmmm
ogunniran
list and explain the terms that found in society
REMMY Reply
list and explain the terms that found in society
Mukhtar
what are the agents of socialization
Antonio
Family Peer group Institution
Abdulwajud
I mean the definition
Antonio
ways of perceived deviance indifferent society
Naomi Reply
reasons of joining groups
SAM
to bring development to the nation at large
Hyellafiya
entails of consultative and consensus building from others
Gadama
World first Sociologist?
Abu
What is evolutionary model
Muhammad Reply
Evolution models refer to mathematical and computational representations of the processes involved in biological evolution. These models aim to simulate and understand how species change over time through mechanisms such as natural selection, genetic drift, and mutation. Evolutionary models can be u
faruk
what are the modern trends in religious behaviours
Selekeye Reply
what are social norms
Daniel Reply
shared standards of acceptable behavior by the group or appropriate behavior in a particular institution or those behaviors that are acceptable in a society
Lucius
that is how i understood it
Lucius
examples of societal norms
Diamond
Discuss the characteristics of the research located within positivist and the interpretivist paradigm
Tariro Reply
what is Industrialisation
Selekeye Reply
industrialization
Angelo
Got questions? Join the online conversation and get instant answers!
Jobilize.com Reply
Practice Key Terms 1

Get Jobilize Job Search Mobile App in your pocket Now!

Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store Now




Source:  OpenStax, College physics. OpenStax CNX. Jul 27, 2015 Download for free at http://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11406/1.9
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc.

Notification Switch

Would you like to follow the 'College physics' conversation and receive update notifications?

Ask