In the year 1951, what was the power availability per person ?
2015
In the year 1951, what was the power availability per person ?
Answer: D. 500 W — CONCEPTPer-person availability is found by dividing the total power available by the population. Both quantities must first be expressed with compatible scale…
- A.
100 W
- B.
200 W
- C.
400 W
- D.
500 W
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
CONCEPT
Per-person availability is found by dividing the total power available by the population. Both quantities must first be expressed with compatible scale factors so that the population unit cancels correctly.
APPLICATION
For 1951, the total electrical power production is 10 GW. Using 1 GW = 1000 million W, this is 10 × 1000 = 10,000 million W.
The population in 1951 is 20 million people.
Power per person = 10,000 million W ÷ 20 million people = 500 W per person.
CROSS-CHECK
Multiplying 500 W per person by 20 million people gives 10,000 million W, which equals 10 GW and matches the table. Therefore, the power availability was 500 W per person.