Playing with E=MC^2: Exploring Energy Conversions

[RagingPineapple]

Hi all,

I've been teaching myself about energy unit conversions (because I never paid attention at school) and just wondered if someone could check my math please? It's not a homework question - I've not been to school for 10 years! Just a curiosity on my part...

I was trying to work out how much energy is contained in the atoms of household objects and compare it to other things.

If we compare it to my humble pet parrot, for instance, he weighs 145g.

So I imagine 0.145kg * 299,792,458 * 299,792,458 = 13,031,950,091,683,900 Joules.

My house consumes (electric and gas combined) 12,360 kWh of energy in a year.
If 1 kWh == 3,600,000 Joules then our house consumes:
3,600,000 Joules * 12,360 kWh = 44,496,000,000 Joules

So if 13,031,950,091,683,900 Joules / 44,496,000,000 Joules = 292,879...
... then the energy wrapped up in Charlie's birdy atoms could power my house for 292,879 years?


Then if the power consumption of the planet at anyone moment is estimated at 15 Terawatts, or 15,000,000,000 kW, and 1 kW is 1,000 Joules/Second then the Earth's consumption is:
15,000,000,000 kW * 1,000 Joules/Second/kW = 15,000,000,000,000 Joules/Second.

Then my birdy, suitably atomised and exploded beyond all recognition, could power the entire Earth for:

13,031,950,091,683,900 Joules/bird / 15,000,000,000,000 Joules/Second = 868.8 seconds/bird.
868.8 seconds / 60 seconds/minute = 14.48 minutes.

So, if his atoms weren't so stable, my bird could power the entire Earth for 14 minutes.

Am I right, or has my maths gone horribly awry? :shy:

 

[hjelmgart]

Well I think the math is ok, but how much energy do you think it would require to "exploid" the energy contained within Charlie in the manner you suggest is possible?

 

[RagingPineapple]

Lol, probably a lot more than you'd get out of it, I should imagine! Which is why I keep Charlie as my pet, instead of using him to power the world. Noble as that would be, of course. :P

Thanks for your reply my friend.

 

[Enigman]

It also happens to be approximately equal to the impact energy forming the Meteor Crater, Arizona (~~ 1×10^16 J )
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=13,031,950,091,683,900 Joules&t=crmtb01

 

[pmacias]

Hello! It's great to see someone taking an interest in energy unit conversions and exploring the concept of energy in everyday objects. Your calculations seem to be on the right track, but there are a few things to consider.

Firstly, E=mc^2 is a formula that relates mass (m) and energy (E) for objects moving at the speed of light (c). In everyday objects, the speed of light is not a factor, so this formula may not be the most accurate for calculating the energy contained in your pet parrot. However, your approach using the mass of your parrot and converting it to joules is a good way to estimate its energy content.

Secondly, your calculation for how long your parrot's atoms could power your house is assuming that all of its energy is converted into usable electricity. In reality, there are many energy conversion processes that are not 100% efficient, so the actual amount of time your parrot's atoms could power your house may be less than 292,879 years.

Lastly, your calculation for how long your parrot's atoms could power the entire Earth is also assuming 100% efficiency. In addition, the energy consumption of the Earth is constantly changing and not always at its peak, so the actual time may be different.

Overall, your math seems to be correct, but it's important to keep in mind that these are estimates and there are many factors that can affect the accuracy of these calculations. Keep exploring and learning about energy conversions - it's an important concept in many fields of science!