In the Sun, a mass of 4 × 10^7 kg is converted into energy every second - Leaving Cert Physics - Question (i) - 2014

To find the energy released each second when a mass is converted into energy, we can use Einstein's mass-energy equivalence formula:

$E = mc^2$

Where:

• $E$ is the energy,
• $m$ is the mass converted into energy,
• $c$ is the speed of light.

Given:

• Mass, $m = 4 × 10^7 ext{ kg}$
• Speed of light, $c = 3 × 10^8 ext{ m s}^{-1}$

Substituting the values into the formula:

$E = (4 × 10^7 ext{ kg}) × (3 × 10^8 ext{ m s}^{-1})^2$

Calculating $c^2$:

$c^2 = (3 × 10^8)^2 = 9 × 10^{16} ext{ m}^2 ext{s}^{-2}$

Now substituting back into the energy formula:

$E = (4 × 10^7) × (9 × 10^{16})$

Now, multiplying these values:

$E = 36 × 10^{23} ext{ J} = 3.6 × 10^{24} ext{ J}$

Thus, the energy released each second is $3.6 × 10^{24} ext{ J}$.