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Munch
Lv 4
Munch asked in Science & MathematicsPhysics · 10 years ago

Can someone please check my work for me? (Physics)?

I am giving a speech on E=mc2 and I need to make sure the calculations I did are correct. Basically, I wanted to put it in perspective on how much energy 8oz of water (approximately 0.236kg) contains if converted into pure energy using E=mc2.

I used some online converters for units and I did a bit of rounding for simplicity:

● Energy in 8 ounces of water:

8 ounces = approximately 0.236 kilograms

C (speed of light) = 300,000,000 meters per second

E = mc2 Energy = mass (in kilograms) x (speed of light squared)

E = (0.236 kg)(300,000,000 m/s)2 = 21,240,000,000,000,000 Joules

●Number of cars the above energy can lift to 1 mile (1609.344 meters)

1 average car = 2 tons (4000 pounds) or 1814.369 kilograms

Work (in Joules) = Force x Distance Distance = 1609.344 meters

Force = mass x acceleration (in this case, acceleration of gravity, or 9.8 m/s2)

Work = mass x acceleration of gravity x Distance x number of cars

Number of cars = [Work (Energy from previous problem)] / [(1814.369kg)(9.8m/s2)(1609.344m)] = 742,256,372 cars

So basically, 8 ounces of water, if converted into pure energy, can lift 742 billion cars 1 mile off the ground? This didn't seem right, so I thought I'd ask.

Thanks!

2 Answers

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  • 10 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    your math and reasoning are correct.

    if the result is surprising, think about bomb dropped on Hiroshima. only about 1g of matter was converted to energy

  • 4 years ago

    A swimmer has to swim the gap 20 m + a million.8 m = 21.8 m, as a manner to bypass the flags (that's because of the fact she dives verticaly, i think, on the sting of the pool and so she has to swim 20 m plus her own top) between the kinematics equations for uniformly speeded up action is: s = a million/2 x a x t2 in case you resolve for t, you get: t = sqrt (2 x s / a) = 13.2 s ---> you have been in all probability ideal!

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