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Ch 20: The Second Law of Thermodynamics
Young & Freedman Calc - University Physics 14th Edition
Young & Freedman Calc14th EditionUniversity PhysicsISBN: 9780321973610Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 20, Problem 16a

A certain brand of freezer is advertised to use 730730 kWh of energy per year. Assuming the freezer operates for 55 hours each day, how much power does it require while operating?

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1
First, understand the relationship between energy, power, and time. Energy is the product of power and time, given by the formula: E=Pt, where E is energy, P is power, and t is time.
Next, convert the annual energy usage from kilowatt-hours to watt-hours for easier calculation. Since 1 kW•h = 1000 W•h, multiply 730 kW•h by 1000 to get the energy in watt-hours: 7301000=730000 W•h.
Determine the total number of hours the freezer operates in a year. Since it operates for 5 hours each day, multiply the number of hours per day by the number of days in a year: 5365=1825 hours.
Now, use the formula for power: P=Et. Substitute the values for energy and time: P=7300001825.
Finally, simplify the expression to find the power required while the freezer is operating. This will give you the power in watts.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Energy Consumption

Energy consumption refers to the amount of energy used by an appliance over a specific period. In this context, the freezer's annual energy consumption is given as 730 kW•h, which is the total energy it uses in one year. Understanding this helps in calculating the power usage when the appliance is in operation.
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Power

Power is the rate at which energy is used or transferred. It is measured in watts (W) or kilowatts (kW). To find the power required by the freezer while operating, we need to determine how much energy it uses per hour of operation, given its total annual energy consumption and daily operating hours.
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Time Conversion

Time conversion is crucial for calculating power from energy consumption. Since the freezer operates for 5 hours each day, we need to convert this daily operation into an annual context to match the given energy consumption. This involves multiplying the daily operating hours by the number of days in a year to find the total operating hours annually.
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