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Science / Electronics basics / Grade 8 / se8w2

Check the Energy Notebook

Repair unit mistakes and combine two separate intervals without confusing power and energy.

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A notebook needs units and interval boundaries. Convert mA to A before P = V x I. Calculate each constant-power interval with E = P x t, then add successive interval energies. For the whole run, average power is total energy divided by total time. These are declared ideal model readings; they do not establish temperatures or safe component ratings.

Worked example

A separate example uses 1 W for 2 seconds, followed by 3 W for 2 seconds. Energy is 2 J + 6 J = 8 J over 4 seconds, so average power is 8 / 4 = 2 W. Adding the two powers to get 4 W would not describe this successive run.

A ten-second timeline has two successive five-second intervals. A: 8 volts and 50 milliamps, from 0 to 5 seconds. B: 8 volts and 100 milliamps, from 5 to 10 seconds. No calculated power or energy answers are filled in.
Calculate A and B separately, then combine their energies and durations. The intervals do not overlap.

Notebook records: one run, two successive intervals

Interval A is the first 5 seconds: a resistor has 8 V across it and 50 mA through it. Interval B is the next 5 seconds: a different resistor setting has 8 V across it and 100 mA through it. Values stay constant within each interval. There is no additional time or energy between intervals. Use these records as given; no real circuit is built.

Question 1 Which current in amperes belongs to interval A?
Question 2 Which power calculation for interval A is correct?
Question 3 What total energy is transferred across both successive intervals?
Question 4 What is the average power over the full 10-second run?
Question 5 The notebook reports 6 J in total. Can that alone determine the resistor temperature?