Resistors in series physics question?

Question

Your car's 30.0 W headlight and 2.40 kW starter are ordinarily connected in parallel in a 12.0 V system. What power would one headlight and the starter consume if connected in series to a 12.0 V battery?

Answer 1

Ωh = V²/W = 12²/30 = 4.8 Ω

Ωs = 12²/2.4E3 = .06 Ω

ΣΩ = 4.86 Ω

W = V²/R = 12²/4.86 = 29.63 W

Answer 2

It sounds like a trick question. The starter is not going to turn, with the current limited by a 30w bulb. without the rotor turning, there will be no counter EMF opposing current flow in the stator windings?. so the stator windings would be 4 parralel branches, each with about 20 windings of real big wire.   with direct current - as close to zero resistance as you could get. real slight inductive reactance during the first microsecond, as magnetic field builds - not much @ 2.5A , few windings.

   I'd answer 30 watts, but steve has the math right.