Question regarding energy, BTU

[Speedy]

"Assume that the population of the U.S. increases by 1%/yr. How many BTU of energy will have to be added to the national annual energy budget this year to maintain the same per capita expenditure?"

The current populations is listed as 291 million. And the current per capita energy expenditure = 58 barrels of oil.

I wasn't sure what to do. I guessed and ended up with 9.7776 X 10 to the 14, BTU increase. Can anyone help me out a bit?

 

[TVP45]

I think you assumed the questioner meant 58 barrel of oil equivalents and, in that case, you seem to have done it correctly, except you've used too many significant figures in your answer. Can you show your calculations?

 

[Moetasim]

I can provide a more accurate calculation for the BTU increase needed to maintain the same per capita energy expenditure. Based on the current population of 291 million and assuming a 1% annual increase, the population of the US would be approximately 293.91 million this year.

To calculate the total energy budget, we need to multiply the per capita energy expenditure (58 barrels of oil) by the population. This gives us a total energy budget of 17.04 billion barrels of oil for this year.

To maintain the same per capita energy expenditure, we need to divide the total energy budget by the population. This gives us an average of 58.08 barrels of oil per person.

To convert barrels of oil to BTU, we can use the conversion factor of 1 barrel of oil = 5.8 million BTU. Therefore, the total BTU increase needed this year would be 58.08 barrels of oil per person multiplied by 293.91 million people, which equals approximately 1.7 x 10^16 BTU.

This is a significantly larger number than the one you calculated, and it highlights the importance of using accurate and precise calculations in scientific research. It is also important to consider other factors that may affect energy consumption, such as technological advancements and changes in energy sources.