Ch 1 Energy

9/20/04

11:12 AM

Page 7

Activity 1 Exploring Energy Resource Concepts

a) Begin a concept map to show

how the units are interconnected.
Complete the concept map as
you work through this part of the
activity.

Part C: Energy Units and Conversions

1. Look at the conversion table. (In this
activity you will record all your data
in metric units. The table gives both
metric and English equivalents to all
the units that you will be using in
this activity. Refer to this table
whenever necessary.)

Energy Conversion Table

Heat
1 kcal (kilocalorie) = the heat needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water
from 14.5C to 15.5C
1 Btu (British thermal unit) = the heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound
of water from 60F to 61F
1 kcal = 1000 cal = 3.968 Btu
Force, mass, and velocity
1 kg = 0.069 slug
acceleration of gravity (g) = 9.8 m/s2 = 32 ft/s2
1 N (newton) = 1 J/m (joule per meter) = 0.225 pounds
1 m/s = 3.28 fps (feet per second) = 2.24 mph (miles per hour)
Energy and work (the mechanical equivalent of heat)
1
1
1
1

kcal = 1000 cal = 4184 J (joules)

Btu = 252 cal = 777.9 ft-lb (foot-pounds) = 1055 J
kWh = 3,600,000 J = 3413 Btu
quad (Q) = 1015 Btu

Power (the rate at which work is done)

1 W (watt) = 1 J/s (joules per second)
1 hp (horsepower) = 550 ft-lb/s = 746 W

2. Do you think that you can produce

power equal to that of a 100-W light
bulb? Obtain and weigh a steel ball.
a) Record the weight of the ball in
newtons. As shown by the
conversion tables, a newton is a
unit of force. The weight of the
ball is the same as the force
exerted on the ball by the pull of
gravity. Show your work in your
EarthComm notebook.

3. Work is defined as the product of a

force times the distance through which
the force acts. The work needed to lift
the steel ball a certain vertical distance
is the force (weight of the ball, in
newtons) times the vertical distance, or
W = F d,
where W is work in joules (J),
F is force in newtons (N), and
d is the height it is raised in
meters (m).

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EarthComm