POGIL: Electric Power Recall that power is the rate at which work is done.

Since energy is transformed when work is done, we can also think of power as the rate of energy transformation. In any electric circuit with a continuous conducting path, current flows through wires and carries energy with it. Current describes the rate at which charge flows, and voltage describes the amount of energy carried by each unit of charge. We also want to know how quickly energy is being transformed in a circuit; as you might have figured out, this is related to both current and voltage. Electric Power Recall that power is the rate at which work is done and therefore the rate at which energy is transformed: P= W . t

Suppose we wish to know the rate at which energy is transformed by some device in a circuit, such as a light bulb connected to a battery. Since voltage tells us the energy transformed per charge and current tells us the amount of charge passing per unit of time, note what happens when we multiply the two together: CurrentVoltage= charge energy energy = time charge time .

This is none other than the power of the device in the circuit. We therefore conclude that the power of a device in a circuit is P=IV . Recall that power is measured in Watts (equal to a Joule per second), abbreviated W. 1. In the circuit below, a 12 V power supply causes 5 A of current to flow through the light bulb.

12 V

(a) Describe the energy transformations that take place in this circuit.

(b) What is the resistance of the light bulb?

(c) At what rate does the light bulb transform energy?

(d) How much electrical energy does the light bulb use in 1 s?

(e) How much electrical energy does the light bulb use in 2 s?

(f) How much electrical energy does the light bulb use in one minute?

(g) At what rate must the battery supply energy to the circuit?

2. In the circuit below, a 20 V power supply is connected to a light bulb. The power of the light bulb is 100 W.

20 V

(a) What is the current through the light bulb?

(b) What is the resistance of the light bulb?

(c) How much electrical energy does the light bulb use in 1 s?

(d) How much electrical energy does the light bulb use in 2 s?

(e) How much electrical energy does the light bulb use in 10 s?

(f) How much charge passes through the light bulb in 1 s?

(g) How much charge passes through the light bulb in 2 s?

(h) How much charge passes through the light bulb in 10 s?

(i) How much electrical potential energy is lost by 1 C of charge that passes through the light bulb?

(j) How much electrical potential energy is lost by 2 C of charge that passes through the light bulb?

(k) How much electrical potential energy is lost by 10 C of charge that passes through the light bulb?

3. Both power and voltage are related to energy. What is the difference between them?

4. Both power and current are time rates. What is the difference between them?

5. The electric company sends a bill to your home each month charging you for electricity according to the number of kilowatt-hours (abbreviated kWh) you use. (a) What exactly is the electric company charging you for? Justify your answer.

(b) Suppose we plug a 75 W light bulb into a 120 V outlet and leave it on for one full day. The cost electricity is typically around $.10 per kilowatt-hour. Determine the cost of running the bulb for this long.

(c) A current of 0.15 A passes through an alarm clock-radio. If plugged into a 120 V outlet, determine the cost of operating it for 30 days.