Spoilers So it's solar powered, then?

[Deks]

Uh, Watts are a unit of power, i.e., energy per unit time. Specifically, a Watt (and it's capitalized, like any other SI unit named after a person) is defined as a Joule per second.

A "Watt per second" would be a measure of change in power. A Joule per second squared, in effect.

Incidentally, a "Watt-second" (some defibrillator charge indicators are so-marked) is exactly equivalent to a Joule.

Oh, and in electricity, a Volt is defined as a Joule per Coulomb, and an Ampere as a Coulomb per second. So if you multiply EMF in Volts by current in Amperes, the Coulombs cancel, and you are left with Joules per second, or Watts.

Or to paraphrase my high school physics teacher, unit analysis is your friend.

The fact I used 'per second' in my sentence is not technically inaccurate though.
Sure, when we describe something in Watts for example, the term per second is implied... but stating in the same sentence 'per second' is a mere redundancy in that case, not technically inaccurate.

It just means the sun's output is constant every second ... I didn't mean it like the sun's power output is increasing 384.6 yottawats every second (because that was/is not implied).

It simply means that for example, in 2 seconds, the sun would have generated a total of 769.2 Yottawats... but the Sun DOES in fact generate 384.6 Yottawatts every second.

 

[Deks]

Also, I used Chatp GPT to help me come up with more fun numbers on estimated power outputs of UFP ships and just how powerful the Protocore could be:

USS Enterprise-D Warp Core: The estimated power output of the Enterprise-D's warp core is 12.7 exawatts. This figure represents the typical power generation of the warp core under normal conditions.

Phaser Beam: Based on our estimations of what it would take to bore multiple km deep bore hole in a planetary crust, the phaser beam's energy output is approximately 1.27 exawatts. This value represents about 10% of the Enterprise-D's warp core power output. It's important to note that the destructive capability of a phaser beam goes beyond raw power output, as it also involves the focusing and modulation of the energy beam.
1.27 Exawatts also roughly translates to 0.239 Gigatons.

Photon Torpedoes: Based on the discussion, photon torpedoes could have an estimated energy output in the range of several hundred exawatts (resulting in approximate figure of 23.9 Gigatons on the high end for the photon torpedoes on ENT-D during TNG). This calculation assumes that photon torpedoes have a higher power output compared to phaser beams, but the specific figure is not determined.

Protostar: Assuming the USS Protostar harnessed a protostar with an energy output equivalent to 2.5% of the Sun's total energy output (a range in power output of 0.5% to 2.5% of a G-Type Star encompasses protostars in varying stages of development when considered from real life point of view), it would generate approximately 1.923 million exawatts (or 1.923 Yottawats) under 'normal' conditions.

If we also take into account the fact that the Protostar was shrunk and compressed into a small containment that is maintained by 2 Warp cores onboard the USS Protostar, its reasonable to think that the resulting effects of compression and shrinking (possibly applied from the shrinking anomaly from 'One Small Ship'), reduced the gravimetric distortions and energy output of the Protostar in question proportionally - aka, its gravimetric distortions are now within the range that the 2 warp cores can manage with aid of subspace and other technology, but the Protostar still outputs FAR more energy than 2 Warp cores ever could - possibly in the range of thousands or tens of thousands (maybe even hundreds of thousands) of exawatts.

So, because the power output remains so large (but is lower than what you'd get from a 'properly sized Protostar'), Starfleet would need to rethink its power distribution and management systems so they can handle this much power and the thing can power its own containment (aka, eradicating the need for M/AM and dilithium), and for now, they are only able to channel this massive energy into achieving Transwarp (hence the third/specialized nacelle).

Its still progress, but redesigning power distribution systems to be able to handle that much power doesn't have to happen immediately... it can happen over the course of the next decade or two, or perhaps by the mid to late 25th century (as we have no data to confirm any ships in Starfleet from Pic season 2 or 3 use Protostars - but seeing how Riker used the term 'warp cores' in describing Romulan power sources which should be quantum singluarity based power cores, its possible that he's using the term 'warp core' for a major power core on board a ship responsible for achieving FTL).

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

The fact I used 'per second' in my sentence is not technically inaccurate though.
Sure, when we describe something in Watts for example, the term per second is implied... but stating in the same sentence 'per second' is a mere redundancy in that case, not technically inaccurate.

No, "per second" is not implied in Watts; it is a very explicit part of the definition. Power is, by definition, energy per unit time. "Watts per second" would be delta-power per unit time.

A Newton is the MKS unit of force. A Joule (defined as a Newton-Meter) is the MKS unit of energy both energy and work. A Watt (defined as a Joule per second) is the MKS unit of power. Likewise, a dyne is the CGS unit of force, an erg (defined as a dyne-centimeter) is the CGS unito fo energy and work, and in the CGS system, the unit of power is simply called an erg per second.

I won't get into the two mutually exclusive Imperial systems of mechanical units, except to say that they're mutually exclusive because they depend on whether you use a pound as a unit of force (in which case, the unit of mass is called a "slug") or as a unit of mass (in which case, if I remember right, the unit of force is called a "poundal").

If the sun generates energy at a rate of 384.6 YW, then it releases 769.2 yottaJoules in two seconds. Or in CGS, that would be 3846 quettaergs per second, yielding 7692 quettaergs in two seconds.

While I don't have a degree in physics, I have, nonetheless, had six years of it: a year of high school physics, a year of non-calc general physics, and then, because of a change of major (BA in Math with Computer Science concentration to BS in Computer Science) that rendered non-calc general physics unacceptable, another year of calculus general physics.

Oh, and I recall a TOS episode in which Scotty measured pressure in "GSC"; I'm sure everybody who has made it through as much physics as I have probably also cringes at the malapropism.

Unless you can show me a degree in physics, you're about as likely to win a physics argument with me (at least over something as basic and absolutely unambiguous as definitions of mechanical units) as you are to win a storytelling argument (especially over whether a particular opus is fanfic, or over what constitutes a gratuitous continuity breach) with CLB.

 

[AnimationAdmiral]

The show explicitly states the sun is made of exotic matter, so all of these envelope calculations are completely moot, by definition of the term “exotic” in physics terms.

 

[fireproof78]

No, "per second" is not implied in Watts; it is a very explicit part of the definition. Power is, by definition, energy per unit time. "Watts per second" would be delta-power per unit time.

A Newton is the MKS unit of force. A Joule (defined as a Newton-Meter) is the MKS unit of energy both energy and work. A Watt (defined as a Joule per second) is the MKS unit of power. Likewise, a dyne is the CGS unit of force, an erg (defined as a dyne-centimeter) is the CGS unito fo energy and work, and in the CGS system, the unit of power is simply called an erg per second.

I won't get into the two mutually exclusive Imperial systems of mechanical units, except to say that they're mutually exclusive because they depend on whether you use a pound as a unit of force (in which case, the unit of mass is called a "slug") or as a unit of mass (in which case, if I remember right, the unit of force is called a "poundal").

If the sun generates energy at a rate of 384.6 YW, then it releases 769.2 yottaJoules in two seconds. Or in CGS, that would be 3846 quettaergs per second, yielding 7692 quettaergs in two seconds.

While I don't have a degree in physics, I have, nonetheless, had six years of it: a year of high school physics, a year of non-calc general physics, and then, because of a change of major (BA in Math with Computer Science concentration to BS in Computer Science) that rendered non-calc general physics unacceptable, another year of calculus general physics.

Oh, and I recall a TOS episode in which Scotty measured pressure in "GSC"; I'm sure everybody who has made it through as much physics as I have probably also cringes at the malapropism.

Unless you can show me a degree in physics, you're about as likely to win a physics argument with me (at least over something as basic and absolutely unambiguous as definitions of mechanical units) as you are to win a storytelling argument (especially over whether a particular opus is fanfic, or over what constitutes a gratuitous continuity breach) with CLB.

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[hbquikcomjamesl]

If the test is about unit analysis, then it probably will be.

 

[fireproof78]

Knew I should have studied harder.