The voltage and an electric heater

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the power consumption of an electric heater when the voltage changes. The original poster presents a scenario where a 660W heater operates at 120V, and they seek to determine the power consumption when the voltage drops to 110V.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts calculations involving current and resistance to find the new power consumption. Some participants question the correctness of the supposed answer of 500W, while others suggest that the rated power might be incorrectly stated as 660W instead of 600W.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing feedback on the calculations and exploring the implications of the rated power of the heater. There is no explicit consensus on the correct rated power, but some guidance has been offered regarding the calculations.

Contextual Notes

There is a mention of a discrepancy in the rated power of the heater, which may affect the interpretation of the problem. The original poster notes that other partial answers align with the 660W rating.

Karol
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Homework Statement


A 660[W] heater can work on 120[V]. if the voltage decreases to 110[V] what is the power that it consumes?

Homework Equations


$$V=iR$$
$$P=iV$$
For pure resistance: ##P=i^2R##

The Attempt at a Solution


The current at 660[W]: ##P=i\cdot 120\rightarrow i=5.5[A]##
The resistance: ##660=5.5^2\cdot R\rightarrow R=22[\Omega]##
The new current: ##V=iR\rightarrow 110=i\cdot 22\rightarrow i=5[A]##
The new power consumption: ##P=i\cdot V=5\cdot 110=550[W]##
And with another method: ##P=i^2\cdot R=5^2\cdot 22=550[W]##
It is written that it should be 500[W]
 
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Your calculations look fine. The supposed answer is not correct.
 
Thanks, gneil
 
My guess is the rated power should be given as 600W, not 660W.
 
Thank you too, haruspex, but the other partial answers to this question, which i didn't fully copy here, fit 660[W], but i guess this problem is solved
 

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