physics

PowerBar

PowerBar is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand PowerBar rather than just read about it. In short: PowerBar is an American brand of energy bars and other related products including sports drinks, gels, and the Pria bars targeted at women. The company was established in 1986 and was acquired by Nestlé in 2000 and by Post Holdings in 2014.

PowerBar — illustration

Key takeaways

PowerBar belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect PowerBar to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of PowerBar from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

PowerBar is an American brand of energy bars and other related products including sports drinks, gels, and the Pria bars targeted at women. The company was established in 1986 and was acquired by Nestlé in 2000 and by Post Holdings in 2014. PowerBar is part of Germany-based Active Nutrition International alongside Premier Protein and Dymatize. It is a subsidiary of BellRing Brands, of which Post Holdings is the majority owner.

History

The PowerBar company was founded by Brian Maxwell, a Canadian athlete and entrepreneur, along with Jennifer Biddulph, and Mike McCollum. They started in Maxwell's kitchen, where they formulated the recipe using the knowledge of Jennifer Biddulph, a nutritionist. The two would eventually marry. They used $55,000 in cash to launch the company in 1986 in Berkeley, California. This was the first "energy bar" for use during competition by endurance athletes, such as ultramarathoners and cyclists. They eventually acquired a headquarters building in downtown Berkeley. The company eventually reached $150 million in sales before being purchased by Nestlé in 2000 for $375 million. In February 2007, PowerBar moved its headquarters from Berkeley, California, to the Nestlé headquarters in Glendale, California. On February 3, 2014, Post Holdings announced it had reached an agreement to acquire PowerBar, Musashi and related worldwide assets from Nestlé. Following the acquisition, PowerBar became part of Active Nutrition International, which is headquartered in Munich, Germany.

See also List of California companies List of food companies

References

External links

Official website "PowerBar founder collapses" (20 March 2004), San Francisco Chronicle Center.spoke.com: Mike McCollum, Board Member

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with PowerBar

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what PowerBar claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to PowerBar before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about PowerBar ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of PowerBar

In research: PowerBar appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses PowerBar in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: PowerBar is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1986 establishments in California, American brands, American companies established in 1986, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for PowerBar outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “PowerBar” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study PowerBar in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what PowerBar means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain PowerBar out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is PowerBar in simple terms?

Why does PowerBar matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study PowerBar?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on PowerBar.