Calculating Gasoline Consumption for Car Acceleration

AI Thread Summary
To calculate gasoline consumption for a car accelerating to 29.1 m/s with a mass of 1500 kg and 40% engine efficiency, the kinetic energy (KE) at that speed is 635,107.5 J. The energy content of gasoline is 9.38 × 10^5 J/oz, and after accounting for efficiency, the usable energy per ounce is 375,200 J. Dividing the kinetic energy by the usable energy per ounce results in a consumption of approximately 1.69 ounces of gasoline. The calculations appear to be correct based on the provided information. This method effectively demonstrates how to determine fuel consumption during acceleration.
Crush1986
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Homework Statement



Gasoline has an energy content of 9.38 × 10^5 J/oz. If a car,
with a mass of 1500 kg, is accelerated to a speed of 29.1
m/s, how much gas is consumed by the engine, assuming
40% efficiency?

Homework Equations


w=fd
w= ΔKE



The Attempt at a Solution


So I started by multiplying the energy content of gasoline by .4 so I believe I could just treat it was being 100 percent efficient after that.
I then calculated the KE the car had at the end of it's acceleration. 1/2*(1500kg)*(29.1 m/s)^2 = 635107.5 J. I then divided this by the amount of energy a car uses per oz of gasoline which was .4 * 9.38*10^5 J/oz to get the oz's. Which was 1.69.
Is this all correct?

Thank you to anyone for their time.
 
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