Question

an article states that the fission of 4.0g of uranium-235 releases 1.36x10^9 kcal, the same amount of energy as burning four tons of coal (8000 lb) if this report is accurate how much energy is released in kcal when 1.0 g of coal is burned?

Answer 1

Burning four tons of coal releases the same amount of energy as the fission of 4.0g of uranium-235. When 1.0g of coal is burned, approximately 339.092 kcal of energy is released.

Step-by-step explanation:

Let's first determine how much energy is released by burning 1.0g of coal.

According to the article, the fission of 4.0g of uranium-235 releases the same amount of energy as burning four tons (8000 lb) of coal.

1 ton = 2000 lb

4 tons = 4 * 2000 lb = 8000 lb

Since 1 lb is approximately 453.592g, we can convert the weight of the coal to grams:

8000 lb * 453.592 g/lb ≈ 3,628,736 g

Now, we can determine how much energy is released when 1.0g of coal is burned by setting up a proportion:

1.36 x 10^9 kcal / 4.0 g of uranium-235 = x kcal / 3,628,736 g of coal

Solving for x:

x = (1.36 x 10^9 kcal / 4.0 g) * 3,628,736 g

x ≈ 1,231,301,120 kcal

Now, we can find the energy released when 1.0g of coal is burned:

1,231,301,120 kcal / 3,628,736 g ≈ 339.092 kcal/g

Therefore, approximately 339.092 kcal of energy is released when 1.0g of coal is burned.