STEP BY STEP PLEASE How many tons of coal would be needed each year to provide f

Question

STEP BY STEP PLEASE

How many tons of coal would be needed each year to provide for the entire energy needs for the average person in the USA (Assume US population = 300 x 106 people and US annual energy consumption = 98 quad(QBtu). Write down only the numeric part of the answer (e.g., 100 not 100 tons) in integers only (for example, if your answer is 48.32 tons, write only 48)

Hint: 1. Find how many Btu equals a QBtu? 2. From the inner cover of the text book or from the handout that I gave you in the class, find out the energy value  of 1 ton of coal in BTU. 3. Calculate how many tons of coals you will need to supply 98 QBtu of energy. 4. Divide the amount of coal needed by the US population.

Explanation / Answer

We know that, quad is a unit of energy equal to 1015 (a short-scale quadrillion) BTU, or 1.055 × 1018 joules in SI units.

How many tons of coal would be needed in each year to provide for the entire energy needs for an average person in the USA?

N = (98 x 1.055 × 1018 J) / (300 x 106)

N = [(103.4 × 1018) / (300 x 106)] J

N = 3.446 x 1011 J

Convert J into tons -

N = (3.446 x 1011 J) [(2.39 x 10-10 tons) / (1 J)]

N = 82.3 tons

Answer (in numeric) :   N = 82 tons

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