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Ch.8 - The Quantum-Mechanical Model of the Atom
Chapter 8, Problem 100

A particular laser consumes 140.0 watts of electrical power and produces a stream of 1.25×1019 1064-nm photons per second. What is the percent efficiency of the laser in converting electrical power to light?

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Photon Energy

The energy of a photon is determined by its wavelength, given by the equation E = hc/λ, where E is energy, h is Planck's constant (6.626 x 10^-34 J·s), c is the speed of light (3.00 x 10^8 m/s), and λ is the wavelength in meters. For 1064 nm (1.064 x 10^-6 m), this relationship allows us to calculate the energy of each photon emitted by the laser.
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Power and Energy Conversion

Power is the rate at which energy is used or produced, measured in watts (W), where 1 W = 1 J/s. In this context, the laser's power consumption (140.0 W) indicates how much electrical energy is being converted into light energy per second. To find efficiency, we compare the useful output energy (light) to the input energy (electricity).
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Efficiency Calculation

Efficiency is a measure of how effectively a system converts input energy into useful output energy, expressed as a percentage. It is calculated using the formula: Efficiency (%) = (Useful Output Energy / Input Energy) × 100. In this case, we will calculate the total energy output from the emitted photons and compare it to the electrical power consumed by the laser to determine its efficiency.
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