You
have this great idea! You will
start a business removing snow from people’s driveways using a propane
torch.
- Assume you can buy 20
pounds of propane for $14.00.
- Consider whether you will leave the driveway wet or dry.
- The heat of fusion of water is 6.0 kJ
mol-1.
- The heat of
vaporization of water is 40.7 kJ mol-1.
- The specific heat of water is 4.18 J g-1 °C-1.
- The heat of combustion of propane is
–2220 kJ mol-1.
How
much will you have to charge your customers in order to make a profit?
You may use these estimates:
- Average
driveway is 1000 ft2
- Average
snowfall is 6 inches.
- 12
inches of snowfall is equivalent to 1 inch of rainfall.
(For simplification, you may
neglect labor costs, and ignore safety consideration for
now.)
Submitted by: Bill Green, Chemistry Teacher, E. O. Smith High School,Storrs, CT. Used with Honors-Level High School Students |