Unit Conversion W➝J: Break-Even in 50 Years?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the effective power generation of a plant, specifically comparing the energy required for its creation to the power output, leading to a break-even analysis over time. The subject area includes concepts of energy, power, and unit conversion.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the calculation of break-even time by dividing the total energy required by the effective power generated. There are questions regarding the accuracy of the power values used in the calculations and the implications of potential typos. Some participants also explore the functionality of external calculation tools.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing with participants clarifying details about the power values and the calculations involved. There is no explicit consensus on the conclusions drawn, and some participants express skepticism about the problem's framing and relevance.

Contextual Notes

There are noted discrepancies in the power values referenced, which may affect the calculations. Additionally, some participants question the relevance of the problem title to the actual content of the discussion.

JJ91
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Homework Statement


Effective Power generation of the plant is 5.43*10^{7}W but it will required 9*10^{16}J to be created.

Essentially the break-even will after solving equation Energy required/Power Generated however I get results of almost 50 years. Would this be correct?

https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=9E16+Joules+/+5.34E7+Watts
 
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In your problem statement you say the Effective Power is 5.43 x 107 W, but on the web page calculation you used 5.34 x 107 W. A typo no doubt. But yes, the result can be expected to be in the neighborhood of 50 years.
 
JJ91 said:
Essentially the break-even will after solving equation Energy required/Power Generated however I get results of almost 50 years. Would this be correct?

https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=9E16+Joules+/+5.34E7+Watts
Sans the typo gneill noted, this is correct.

Your link stops for me at 1.685×109 J/W. (Perhaps I've overused wolfram alpha?) Sometimes it helps have to cajole wolfram alpha to that it will take the answer a step further.

https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=convert+9E16+Joules+/+5.34E7+Watts+to+years
 
The conclusion is simple. There is no point to invest a broken penny into this power station.
 
JJ91 said:
The conclusion is simple. There is no point to invest a broken penny into this power station.

:confused: Huh? Did you fail to properly state the problem? What is the criterion for your conclusion?
 
I don't like the title of that thread. That problem has nothing to do with unit conversion.
 

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