Body's area regarding energy from sun...?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the temperature rise of a person exposed to solar energy, considering the energy received from the sun, the person's surface area, and specific heat capacity. The original poster attempts to understand the relevance of the person's surface area in the context of the energy calculation.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants question whether the area should be included in the energy calculations and why it might be relevant. There is confusion regarding the units of energy and power, particularly the conversion from joules per hour to joules per second.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided clarifications regarding units and the interpretation of energy calculations, while others express uncertainty about the original poster's approach and the implications of including surface area in the calculations. Multiple interpretations of the problem are being explored.

Contextual Notes

There are indications of missing information regarding the energy received per unit area and the specific context of the calculations. The original poster's phrasing and understanding of units have led to some confusion in the discussion.

axer
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Moved from a technical forum, so homework template missing
Hello, this isn't a homework or anything, I am just trying to understand one thing :) (finals are tomorrow :-0 )

If a person is exposed to heat energy of the sun for 4 hours(5040000 J per hour) and the avg surface area of the person is 1.9 m^2. and specific heat capacity of the body is 3470 J kg-1 k-1. mass of the person is 70. Calculate the rise of Temp.

Q=mc(delta T)

So here's what I am not understanding.. Should I include the person's area? but I am not seeing why they included that since the formula doesn't state area.

Answer in which area is included: (5040000*4)(1.9)=(70)(3470)T ... 158 C.
removing area from the answer: ... 83 C.
 
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We can't answer your question because you didn't show any formula nor did you show your calculations.

Shouldn't 5040000 J per hour be J per m^2 per hour?
 
anorlunda said:
We can't answer your question because you didn't show any formula nor did you show your calculations.

Shouldn't 5040000 J per hour be J per m^2 per hour?
Ok sorry if I am not clear
Power=Energy/time= 5040000 j/h=5040000 W

Heat energy from the sun in 4 hours= 20160000 J. my question is should we include the area to find the heat energy? if yes, why? thanks.
 
axer said:
Ok sorry if I am not clear
Power=Energy/time= 5040000 j/h=5040000 W

Heat energy from the sun in 4 hours= 20160000 J. my question is should we include the area to find the heat energy? if yes, why? thanks.

Nope, you're still far off in magnitude and units. Is the 20160000 supposed to be for the entire Earth? That doesn't work either.

Also, a watt is one joule per second, not one joule per hour.
.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunlight said:
The World Meteorological Organization uses the term "sunshine duration" to mean the cumulative time during which an area receives direct irradiance from the Sun of at least 120 watts per square meter.
 
anorlunda said:
Nope, you're still far off in magnitude and units. Is the 20160000 supposed to be for the entire Earth? That doesn't work either.

Also, a watt is one joule per second, not one joule per hour.
.
nA3LyMzoSdWzskYPvQBy4Q.png
So here's the 2 part question, sorry if my way of phrasing is unclear.
 

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axer said:
[image contents converted to text]
(ii) One square metre of the Earth's surface receives approximately 1.4 x 103 J of solar energy per second
The highlighted portion of the question is important.
 

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