Problem 1: Microwave vs. Toaster Oven
Your friend considers himself a connoisseur of Hot Pockets. He eats one every day and insists on cooking it in the toaster oven (weirdo!) rather than the microwave in order to get the perfect crispy crust. You're trying to convince him that switching to the microwave would be more environmentally-friendly as well as budget-friendly.
- Toaster oven: If it takes 28 minutes to cook a Hot Pocket in a 1400 W toaster oven, how much electricity (in kWh) does this consume every day?
- Microwave: If it takes only 2 minutes in a 1100 W microwave, how much energy (in kWh) would he save by using the microwave over a whole year?
- Savings: If electricity costs $0.12/kWh, and each Hot Pocket costs $1.00, how many extra Hot Pockets could he buy in a year with his savings on electricity? Give your answer to two decimal places.
- Explaining efficiency: At the end of the cooking, we can assume that the Hot Pocket has the same energy increase (i.e. heat) regardless of whether it's cooked in the toaster oven or microwave. Why is the microwave so much more efficient? In other words, why are there higher energy 'losses' with the toaster oven? Try to explain in 1-2 sentences. (Hint: you may need to look up how microwaves work to explain this.)