Answer:
The number of tires required to power ten homes for one year is approximately 2,730 tires
Explanation:
The given information are;
The energy generated by burning one rubber tire = 250,000 BTUs
1 BTU = 0.0003 kW
The amount of energy consumed by the average American home = 10,000 kWh
Therefore, the amount of energy generated by burning one tire in kW can be found as follows;
The energy generated by burning one rubber tire = 250,000 BTUs
1 BTU = 0.0003 kW
∴ 1 BTU × 250,000 = 250,000 BTUs = 0.0003 kW × 250,000 = 75 kW
We note that 250,000 BTUs is equivalent to 263764 kJ
1 kWh is equivalent to 3600 kJ
10,000 kWh = 10,000 × 3600 = 36,000,000 kJ
The energy requirement for ten homes for one year = 10 × 36,000,000 kJ = 360,000,000 kJ
At 50% efficiency, the energy produced per tire = 0.5 × 263764 kJ = 131,882 kJ
The electrical energy produced per tire = 131,882 kJ/tire
The number of tires required to power ten homes for one year = 360,000,000 kJ/ 131,882 kJ/tire = 2,729.71293 ≈2,730 tires
The number of tires required to power ten homes ≈2,730 tires.
