Solving Simple Power Problem: Grandfather Clock + 3.70kg Weight

[help234]

A grandfather clock is powered by the descent of a 3.70 kg weight.
If the weight descends through a distance of 0.700 m in 3.00 days, how much power does it deliver to the clock?

I have tried this a million times, but I'm just having a mental block.
If someone could please help me out & explain how to do this, I'd be super grateful!

Thank you so much!

 

[kamerling]

power is energy/time

The energy is the gravitational energy of the weight

 

[Moetasim]

I would approach this problem by using the formula for power, which is P = W/t, where P is power, W is work, and t is time. In this case, the work being done is the descent of the 3.70 kg weight, and the time is 3.00 days (which must be converted to seconds for the formula to work). We can calculate the work by using the formula W = mgh, where m is the mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2), and h is the height through which the weight descends. Plugging in the values, we get:

W = (3.70 kg)(9.8 m/s^2)(0.700 m) = 25.7 J

Next, we need to convert 3.00 days to seconds, which is 259,200 seconds (3 days x 24 hours/day x 60 minutes/hour x 60 seconds/minute). Now, we can plug in the values into the power formula:

P = (25.7 J)/(259,200 s) = 9.92 x 10^-5 watts

Therefore, the grandfather clock is delivering 9.92 x 10^-5 watts of power. This may seem like a small amount, but it is enough to keep the clock ticking and keep track of time accurately. I hope this explanation helps and clears up any confusion.