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AQA GCSE · Question 02.3 · Energy
A nuclear power station has a power output of 500 MW.
Calculate the energy output in 3600 s.
Give your answer in J.
A nuclear power station has a power output of 500 MW.
Calculate the energy output in 3600 s.
Give your answer in J.
How to approach this question
1. Identify the given values: Power (P) and time (t).
2. Convert the power from megawatts (MW) to watts (W). Remember that "Mega" means 1,000,000.
3. Use the equation from the previous question: E = P × t.
4. Substitute the values for P (in watts) and t (in seconds) into the equation and calculate E.
5. Ensure your final answer is in joules (J).
Full Answer
1. Convert power from MW to W:
P = 500 MW = 500,000,000 W (or 5.0 x 10⁸ W)
2. Use the equation E = P × t:
E = 500,000,000 W × 3600 s
E = 1,800,000,000,000 J
3. Express in standard form:
E = 1.8 × 10¹² J
The problem asks for the energy output (E) given the power (P) and time (t).
The formula linking these is E = P × t.
Step 1: Convert the power to standard units. The power is given as 500 MW. The standard unit for power is the Watt (W). The prefix "M" (Mega) means 10⁶ or 1,000,000.
So, P = 500 MW = 500 × 10⁶ W = 5.0 × 10⁸ W.
Step 2: The time is given in seconds (s), which is the standard unit.
t = 3600 s.
Step 3: Substitute these values into the equation.
E = P × t
E = (5.0 × 10⁸ W) × 3600 s
E = 1,800,000,000,000 J
E = 1.8 × 10¹² J.
Common mistakes
✗ Forgetting to convert megawatts to watts. This is the most common error.
✗ Using the wrong form of the equation.
✗ Errors in calculation or writing the answer in standard form.
Practice the full AQA GCSE Physics Higher Tier Paper 1
20 questions · hints · full answers · grading
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