How many years would it take before the ice melted?

[physics1007]

Homework Statement

Occasionally, huge icebergs are found floating on the ocean's currents. Suppose one such iceberg is 149 km long, 27.7 km wide, and 152 m thick. (a) How much heat in joules would be required to melt this iceberg (assumed to be at 0 °C) into liquid water at 0 °C? The density of ice is 917 kg/m3. (b) The annual energy consumption by the United States in 1994 was 9.3 x 1019 J. If this energy were delivered to the iceberg every year, how many years would it take before the ice melted?

Homework Equations

heat required = mass of ice x heat of fusion for ice
mass of water is found from density and volume of ice
density of ice=mass of ice/volume of ice

The Attempt at a Solution

a very large number not worth mentioning b/c its not right!

 

[OlderDan]

We have no idea why your number is wrong if you do not show us how you calculated it.

 

[kyle8921]

I would like to point out that the question of "how many years would it take before the ice melted?" cannot be answered accurately without knowing the initial temperature of the iceberg and the surrounding environment. The rate of melting is affected by factors such as temperature, salinity, and ocean currents. Additionally, the density of the iceberg may change as it melts, making it difficult to determine the exact amount of energy required to melt it.

To answer part (a) of the question, we can use the equation Q = m x L, where Q is the heat required, m is the mass of the ice, and L is the heat of fusion for ice (334 kJ/kg). The mass of the ice can be calculated by multiplying its density (917 kg/m3) by its volume (149 km x 27.7 km x 152 m). This gives us a heat required of approximately 6.1 x 1014 Joules.

For part (b), we need to consider the energy consumption of the United States (9.3 x 1019 J) and the heat required to melt the iceberg (6.1 x 1014 J). Dividing the energy consumption by the heat required gives us approximately 1.5 x 105 years. However, as mentioned earlier, this calculation is not accurate as it does not take into account the changing density of the iceberg and other environmental factors.

In conclusion, the question of how many years it would take for the iceberg to melt cannot be accurately answered without knowing more specific details about the conditions surrounding the iceberg.