Suppose that one could release all of the energy contained in a mass of 500 grams of dirt (0.500 kg, which is about half a pound).
a. How much energy would be released (in Joules)?
b. If the amount of the energy released by burning one ton of coal is 22 billion Joules, how many tons of coal would you have to burn to equal the energy released by converting the mass of 500 grams of dirt to energy?