Final answer:
To calculate the power output of a current source, use the equation P = IV. For example, using a current of 0.600 A and a source voltage of 12.0 V, the power is 7.20 W. The total power can also be found using total current and voltage values, such as P = (6.00 A)(3.00 V) = 18.00 W.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve for the power output of a current source in a simple DC circuit, you can use the equation P = IV, where P stands for power in watts (W), I represents the current in amperes (A), and V is the voltage in volts (V). In several examples provided in the module, both the total power supplied by the source and the power dissipated by the resistors are calculated using this formula. When given a current of 0.600 A and a voltage of 12.0 V, the power output is calculated as P = (0.600 A)(12.0 V) = 7.20 W.
An alternate way to calculate the power is by using total current and voltage values, for instance, P = (6.00 A)(3.00 V) = 18.00 W. It's important to note that power can also be calculated by considering the voltage drop across a resistor rather than the full voltage of the source if that's the focus of the analysis, but in our examples, the source voltage is used to find the power of the source.