EEL3216

Homework #2

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due Thr, Sep 10, 2015

Conventions, 2 points
In phasor notation, the magnitude can be stated in terms of either the amplitude or the
rms value of a sinusoidally changing quantity. Which notation is used in the Bergen &
Vittal book, and where do they tell you? Why do you think this is the convention in
power engineering?

Reactive power and my vacuum cleaner, 4 points
a. Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejXFD8NJpik
, It is the Power Save 1200 Demonstration video. What does the Power-Save unit do? Is
there anything factually wrong in the presentation? Are any statements misleading?
Explain.

b. My vacuum cleaner does not state its wattage, only "12.0 Amps" at rated voltage
(120V). Assuming a power factor of 0.60, what is its electric energy consumption during
an hour of vacuuming? Explain using a power triangle diagram.

c. Suppose I install the Power-Save unit in my home, where my vacuum cleaner is the
only load. What will be the effect? Explain using a power triangle diagram.

e. The website suggests, Save up to 25% on your monthly electric bills!!! Under what
circumstances would you expect significant savings from the Power-Save device? (Hint:
consider you utility tariff, what do you pay for? kW per hour our kVA per hour!)
The Up Goer Five, 3 points
The xkcd comic strip proposed a funny way of explaining scientific concepts (in this case,
the Saturn V rocket) using only the ten hundred words people use most often, at
http://xkcd.com/1133/. Using the online text editor at http://splasho.com/upgoer5/, try
your hand at explaining a basic concept of electrical engineering in Up Goer Five style, in
about a paragraph. You may choose to define a term such as Electric Circuit, Voltage,
Inductance, Capacitance, Alternating Current, Phasor, Reactive Power... or another
relevant concept. For inspiration, read How Our Power Lines Will Handle Everyones
Power From the Sun by Michael Cohen, posted in the Readings folder.
http://lifeaterg.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-our-power-lines-will-handle.html

Book Problems, 16 points (4 points each)
Do four of the following problems at the end of Chapter 2 in BV book:

2.1

2.4

2.5

2.6

2.7

Bonus: One of these problems may be used for your midterm exam. So, try to learn all of them.