Question about energy for Black Hole Collision?

[CNBA3]

I was wondering, there are articles that says that it gave an energy value of 3.2e+49 watts, I was wondering, what calculation gave that amount?

Black Hole Collision Event

A Black Hole Collision event is the occurrence in which two black holes spiral around each other and eventually merge, resulting in energy roughly equivalent to the mass of the sun being converted into gravitational waves that will ripple through the fabric of space-time. Tier: 4-B Name: Black...

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[CNBA3]

I read on the Wikipedia of the binary black hole merger it released around 3 solar masses of gravitational energy.

I am wondering, would I use the gravitational potential energy calc? If so, would I use something like this below?

 

[CNBA3]

Bump

 

[CNBA3]

Someone provided a good calculation method for the release of gravitational energy from the BH merger.

GW150914, the subject of OP's post, was a black hole merger involving black holes with pre-merger masses of 36 and 29 solar masses. The resultant black hole has a mass of 62 solar masses. The before/after difference:

• (36 + 29) - 62 = 3 solar masses

was radiated as gravitational waves during the final moments of the merger. Using the mass energy equivalence equation, E = mc2, where,

• m = 3 x (2 x 10^30 kg)
• c = 3 x 108 m/s

yields

• E = 5.4 x 10^47 joules.

A release of such energy within the final 150 milliseconds of the merger:

• 5.4 x 10^47 joules / .15 s = 3.6 x 10^48 watts