Final answer:
Calculating the rate of energy input involves using information about energy consumption, energy efficiency, and metabolic rates, applicable to different scenarios ranging from exercise to vehicle performance.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the rate of energy input required for various activities or scenarios, such as an exercise bicycle manufacturer's claim, a person metabolizing body fat, or a car's efficiency, you must use the provided information to perform calculations involving energy consumption, energy efficiency, and metabolic rates.
These might involve equations for converting between different energy units (e.g., calories to joules), calculating energy expenditures during physical activities, and determining the energy conversion efficiency of the human body or a mechanical system.
(a) To calculate the car's efficiency, we need to determine the work done and the energy input. The work done is the force multiplied by the distance traveled (W = F * d). In this case, the force is the sum of the force of friction and air resistance, and the distance traveled is the sum of the horizontal distance and the vertical distance.
The energy input is the product of the force and the velocity (E = F * v). The efficiency can then be calculated by dividing the work done by the energy input and multiplying by 100.
(b) The result is unreasonable because the calculated efficiency is above 100%.
(c) The premise that is unreasonable is the assumption that all values are known to three significant figures.