Question

(II) You buy a 75-W lightbulb in Europe, where electricity is delivered at 240 V. If you use the bulb in the United States at 120 V (assume its resistance does not change), how bright will it be relative to 75-W 120-V bulbs? [Hint: Assume roughly that brightness is proportional to power consumed.]

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

You are looking for the resistance to start with

W = E * E/R

75 = 240 * 240 / R

75 * R = 240 * 240

R = 240 * 240 / 75

R = 57600 / 75

R = 768

Now let's see what happens when you try putting this into 110

W = E^2 / R

W = 120^2 / 768

W = 18.75

So the wattage is rated at 75. 18.75 is a far cry from that. I think they intend you to set up a ratio of

18.75 / 75 = 0.25

This is the long sure way of solving it. The quick way is to realize that the voltage is the only thing that is going to change. 120 * 120 / (240 * 240) = 1/2*1/2 = 1/4 = 0.25