Life of Pi Essay

Submitted By mkgauthier
Words: 665
Pages: 3

Energy Efficiency vs. School Computers
By: Michael Gauthier
Group: Patrick Gravelle, Lucas Felice, Adrian D’angelo
Abstract
The purpose of this experiment was to calculate the energy efficiency of a common school computer (both monitor and box) and find out how it can affect the environment. The common school computer we found out that the monitor is 98% efficient and takes up 8.76kW/year and the box is 95% efficient and takes up 26.28kW/year. Our results found out that the common school computer is very efficient and is not a big harm to the environment itself.
Introduction
The Grade 11 Academic Physics class of St. Ignatius High School has been investigating the efficiency of a variety of modern technologies. We are learning to use the energy input and output to calculate efficiency and use it to find out ways that could provide benefits and cut down to help the environment. No technology or machine is 100% efficient meaning that they are also inefficient, we noticed that most machines inefficiency produced heat due to their mechanical energy (kinetic and potential energy) and friction in some cases. This thermal energy can potentially harm the environment over time by being exposed into the environment and atmosphere. Our Grade 11 Physics Class was interested in finding the inefficiency of a technology and analyzing it. At that point we can put together how it may affect the environment.
Safety
Do not operate computer if wet.
Keep any beverages away from computer.
Be careful when plugging the ‘Watt Meter’ in.
Materials and Experimental Method * School Computer (Core box and Monitor) * Watt Meter * Plug-in Adapter
Plug in the watt meter into an electrical socket near the computer. Take turns for both the core box and monitor. Plug in either one into the watt meter, measure watts at full use. Unplug the core box and plug in the monitor into the Watt Meter. Make sure to record both measurements down as Energy Input.

Results and Observation
The results we got were simple. We measured that the monitor is 98% efficient and takes up 8.76kW/year. The core box was measured to be 95% efficient and takes up 26.28kW/year. These measurements were calculated under the circumstance that the computer is running 24 hours a day for every day of the year (365). Now we didn’t make this part of our investigation but for your knowledge there are 245 computers in our school so if we multiply for each part we get: 2146.2kW/year for the monitor and 6438.6kW/year for the core box.
Efficiency of a School Computer | Input Energy(W) | Output Energy(W) | Efficiency(%) | KiloWatts per year | Monitor | 64 | 63 | 98 | 8.76 | Core Box | 63 | 66 | 95 | 26.28 | Whole Computer | 127 | 129 | 98 | 35.04 |

Discussion
We came up with a pretty good result, the typical school computer takes up 35.04kW/year and is 98% efficient. These results are pretty accurate because I measured my computer also