SE $1700$ Engineering Fundamentals

Worksheet $-$ Introduction to Estimation

Part $1$: Estimating Power Requirements for a Sedan Car at $60$ mph

Assignment Instructions: In this part of the assignment, you will estimate the power needed for a Toyota sedan car to travel at $60$ mph using the energy content of gasoline and fuel consumption rates. This will help you understand the power requirements of a typical car and how they are influenced by real$-$world factors. Be careful with the units for each quantity to ensure accurate calculations.

$1$: Research and Gather Data $$

Energy Content of Gasoline: Find and note the energy content of gasoline per gallon, recorded in MegaJoules $($MJ$/$gallon$).$ Ensure the units are consistent for your calculations. $q,$

Fuel Consumption: Determine the average fuel consumption of a Toyota sedan car, measured in miles per gallon $($mpg$).$ Pay attention to unit consistency.

$2$: Estimation Process

Gasoline Consumption: Calculate the amount of gasoline consumed per hour by the car at $60$ mph based on the fuel consumption data. Make sure to use the correct units $q,$

Energy Consumption Rate: Multiply the gasoline consumption from $2\mathrm{.}1$ by the energy content of gasoline to find the energy consumed per hour. Keep track of the units throughout

Power Requirement: Convert the energy consumption from Task $2\mathrm{.}2$ into kilowatts $($kW$)$ to estimate the power required to maintain a speed of $60$ mph $.$ Ensure all units are properly converted.

$3$: Reflect

Discuss Limitations: Reflect on the assumptions made during the estimation and any factors that might affect the accuracy of your results.