The United States consumes$ 2.5 × 10^{19} $J of energy each year. A typical solar flare releases 5.0 × 1024 J of energy. How many years could we run the United States on the energy released by this solar flare if all of the released energy could be used

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To find the number of years the United States could run on the energy released by a solar flare, divide the energy of the solar flare by the annual energy consumption of the United States: $ \frac{5.0 \times 10^{24} \text{ J}}{2.5 \times 10^{19} \text{ J/year}} = 2.0 \times 10^5 $ years, which is 200,000 years.

The United States Consumes 2.5×1019 2.5 × 10^{19} 2.5×1019 J of Energy Each Year

The United States Consumes $2.5 × 10^{19}$ J of Energy Each Year