Description
Energy is the ability to do work, and it's the driving force behind all activities in the universe. Whether it's the energy used by machines, the food we consume, or the heat we feel, energy comes in various forms, measured in joules. Understanding energy is key to everything from powering devices to fueling biological processes.
Common energy units
Joule :The standard unit of energy in the SI system, used to quantify heat, electricity, and more.
Kilowatt-hour :Often used by energy companies to measure electricity consumption; 1 kWh equals 3600 kilojoules.
Calorie :Commonly used in food energy measurement, with 1 Calorie equal to approximately 4.184 kilojoules.
Kilojoule :A derived unit of energy in the International System of Units, equivalent to 1,000 joules.
Gram-calorie :A unit of energy commonly used to measure food energy, equivalent to 4.184 joules.
Kilo-calorie :Also known as a large Calorie, commonly used to measure the energy content in food; 1 kilocalorie = 1,000 calories.
Watt-hour :A unit of energy representing the amount of work done by a power of one watt over one hour.
Electron-volt :A small unit of energy commonly used in the field of particle physics, equal to 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ joules.
Us-therm :A unit of energy commonly used in the United States to measure natural gas, equal to 100,000 British thermal units (BTU).
Foot-pound :A unit of energy used in the United States, commonly used to measure work or energy, equivalent to the energy required to move one pound by one foot.
British-thermal-unit :A unit of energy used in the United States, equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.
