Transcript Electric Power - HRSBSTAFF Home Page

Giancoli 5th Ch 18 p. 538
MHR Ch 15 p.734
Electric Power
 Electrical energy is used extensively in our lives since it
is plentiful, relatively inexpensive, and easily
transformed into other forms.
 In our homes, appliances such as ranges, dryers,
toasters, and heaters transform electrical energy into
thermal via a “heating element” i.e. a resistor
Electric Power
 Power is defined as energy transformed per unit time
 P = E/t In electrical devices, charge is moved in a
circuit by a voltage so,
 P = qV/t but I = q/t so P = IV. From Ohm’s law,
 V=IR so P = I(IR) = I2R. Furthermore, I=V/R, so
 P = (V/R)V = V2/R
 P=IV applies to any device, but I2R & V2/R only apply
to resistors
Examples
 A tail-light in my car is rated at 10. W and operates off
the 12V battery. What resistance is offered by the taillight?
 P = V2/R, so R = V2/P 12V2/(10.W)
 Shiva works in an office which has an electric heater
connected to a 120 V line. The heater draws 15 A of
current. How much power does it use and how much
does it cost to run the heater per month if it runs for
3.0 h a day and if NS Power charges 12 ¢ per kWh
 ( kilowatt-hour- a unit of energy)
Examples
 P =IV = (15A)(120V) = 1800 W = 1.8 kW
 Cost = (1.8kW)(3.0 h/day)(30. day/month)($0.12/kWh)
 Cost = $ 19.44
Power in household circuits
 The copper wiring in your home does offer some
resistance to the flow of charge , but it is quite small,
and copper is a good conductor. Because the wire has
some resistance, if the current is large enough, there is
a substantial heating effect in the wire i.e. P = i2R. If
the wire gets hot enough, an electrical fire could start.
 A thicker wire (gauge) has a greater cross sectional
area and can carry more current without overheating.
 When a circuit carries more current than is safe, we say
it is “overloaded.”
Power in household circuits
 To prevent overloading and the likelihood of electrical
fires, fuses and circuit breakers are installed in the
circuits. These are wired in to your electrical panel or
fuse box. Circuit breakers and fuses are really just
switches designed to open the circuit when a certain
amount of current in the circuit is exceeded. Fuses
have a metal ribbon which melts and opens the circuit.
Circuit breakers are spring loaded switches which
“trip” when the current is exceeded. They must be
reset after being tripped.
Power in household circuitsexample
 A 100 W lightbulb, an 1800 W electric heater, a 350 W
stereo receiver and a 1200 W hair dryer are all
connected in parallel to a 120 V line with a 20 A
breaker. Will the breaker be tripped?
Item
I=P/V
I (Amps)
Lightbulb
100W/120 V
0.80 A
Heater
1800 W/120 V
15.0 A
Receiver
350 W/120 V
2.9 A
Hair Dryer
1200 W/120 V
10.0 A
 The total amps in the circuits is
 0.80 + 15.0 + 2.9 + 10.0 = 28.7 A
 So the breaker will be tripped.