Solve Power Problem of Grandfather Clock

[SoccaCrazy24]

A grandfather clock is powered by the descent of a 4.00 kg weight.
If the weight descends through a distance of 0.750 m in 3.00 days, how much power does it deliver to the clock?
I used my equations...
P=W/t
W=F*d
therefore P = (F*d)/t
F=m*a
m=4.00 kg
a=1.116x10^-11 ?
therefore F=4.465x10^-11 ?
d=.75 meters
t=259200 seconds
P= 1.292x10^-16 ?
This is obviously not right to me... but on the force i know its net but where along the way do i find the net force accting upon the clock... if i can figure out F in the equation then i will have the answer... help...

 

[whozum]

Where did you get that value for a? The rest is great, but you should rethink what is accelerating the 4kg weight.

 

[quicknote]

The power delivered to the clock is not dependent on the net force acting on the clock, but rather on the work done by the weight as it descends. The equation for power, P = (F*d)/t, assumes that the force is constant and the distance is covered in a constant amount of time. In this case, we can use the average force over the 3 days and the distance covered to calculate the power.

To find the average force, we can use the equation F = m*a. In this case, the acceleration is due to gravity, which is approximately 9.8 m/s^2. Therefore, the average force is (4.00 kg)(9.8 m/s^2) = 39.2 N.

Now, plugging this value for force and the given distance and time into the power equation, we get:

P = (39.2 N * 0.750 m) / (3.00 days * 24 hours/day * 3600 seconds/hour) = 1.069 x 10^-6 watts

This is the amount of power delivered to the clock by the descending weight. Keep in mind that this is the average power over the 3 days, so the actual power delivered at any given moment may be slightly higher or lower. Also, this calculation assumes no friction or other losses in the clock mechanism.