IB Physics Notes on Power & Efficiency, and Energy Density of Fuels

Power

Power – rate of work done / rate of energy transfer

Unit: Watts (W)

P = power (W)
∆W = work done (J)
∆t = time (s)

Power and moving vehicles

Alternative equation for power: P = Fv

P = power (W)
F = force (N)
v = velocity (ms-1)

Efficiency

Efficiency (of energy transfer) – ratio of useful energy output to total energy input
Efficiency (in terms of power) – ratio of useful power output to total power input

Einput = Euseful + Ewasted

η = Efficiency
Eoutput = useful energy output (J)
Einput = total energy input (J)
Poutput = useful power output (W)
Pinput = total power input (W)

Efficiency expressed as a percentage:

Energy Density of Fuels

Fuel – substance that can be made to react with other substances in order to transfer thermal
energy or mechanical energy that can be used to do work.

Energy density – ratio of energy stored within a fuel to the volume of a fuel.
Unit: Joules per m3 (J m-3)

Energy densities of some common fuels:

Fuel Energy density (J m-3)

Uranium 1018

Coal 1010

Wood 109

Natural gas 108

The energy density of a fuel is inversely proportional to the volume of the fuel needed to
produce a certain amount of energy.
Solar Panels

Total Power Output = Total Area x Solar Irradiance x Conversion Efficiency

(W) (m2) (W m-2) (no units)