Back to the Future’s 1.21 gigawatts sounds huge, but is it? We compare different power levels of common objects to see how much energy a gigawatt really is.

    • ignirtoq@kbin.social
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      9 months ago

      Yeah, and the article is wrong, though only slightly. They seem to be confusing watts (power, energy over time) with Joules (energy, power times a duration of time). They give a passable definition in the beginning (“energy transfer”), but they seem to misunderstand what the “transfer” part means exactly.

      If you find-replace all instances of “watt” with “watt-hour” after that starting definition, it would be more accurate. That’s why I say it’s only slightly wrong.

      • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
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        9 months ago

        i think they attempted to flatten the complex subject, and even specifically mention that watts isnt exactly correct, but close enough.

        if all you need to do is add -hours to the end of watt for the whole thing to be even an approximation, i think the article is fine and all the scientists here are acting pendants.

        this is an entertainment piece. not building a bridge here…