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
Messages
205
Reaction score
10

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.
 
Physics news on Phys.org

Thread 'Rolling without slipping on a curved surface'

Kindly see the attached pdf. My attempt to solve it, is in it. I'm wondering if my solution is right. My idea is this: At any point of time, the ball may be assumed to be at an incline which is at an angle of θ(kindly see both the pics in the pdf file). The value of θ will continuously change and so will the value of friction. I'm not able to figure out, why my solution is wrong, if it is wrong .
View full post »

Thread 'Struggling to understand the concept of this question (ice cube in water optics question)'

TL;DR Summary: I came across this question from a Sri Lankan A-level textbook. Question - An ice cube with a length of 10 cm is immersed in water at 0 °C. An observer observes the ice cube from the water, and it seems to be 7.75 cm long. If the refractive index of water is 4/3, find the height of the ice cube immersed in the water. I could not understand how the apparent height of the ice cube in the water depends on the height of the ice cube immersed in the water. Does anyone have an...
View full post »

Similar threads

Calculating how a car consumes energy (gasoline)
Replies
8
Views
909
Finding Acceleration of a Car Where Crumpling Occurs (Momentum)
Replies
9
Views
2K
Energy content of gasoline and hydrogen comparative math question
Replies
36
Views
6K
Calculate the Acceleration of this Car
Replies
7
Views
993
Worksheet Problem about Power (average power of a car accelerating up a hill)
Replies
2
Views
2K
Travel time for an accelerating car
Replies
2
Views
903
What Is the Average Force Produced by One Gallon of Gasoline?
Replies
2
Views
3K
Calculating Gasoline Needed for 50.0hp Heat Engine Output
Replies
9
Views
2K
What is the maximum attainable speed for the car?
Replies
4
Views
2K
What is the Minimum Time for Acceleration in an Auto Engine Power Problem?
Replies
1
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top