The calorie, commonly associated with food energy, originally measured heat in physics. One calorie is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. Despite what food packaging might suggest, when we count calories, we are typically referring to kilocalories, which equals 1,000 of these small calories. This means that when you see a snack label stating it’s 100 calories, it’s actually 100 kilocalories, or 100,000 calories in scientific terms!
Interestingly, the calorie became a popular unit due to its early use in nutrition studies and its role in determining food’s energy content. This is crucial, as it helps in planning and maintaining balanced diets and understanding energy expenditure for health and fitness.
The watt-minute is a lesser-known unit of energy, yet it plays a significant role in understanding everyday energy consumption. It is equivalent to 60 joules and is simply the amount of energy produced or consumed by a power of one watt over one minute. Although not commonly used in everyday measurements, watt-minutes can be instrumental in more precise energy calculations, such as for electrical appliances or industrial equipment, providing insights between larger units like kilowatt-hours and smaller units like joules.
Intriguingly, it takes roughly 15 watt-minutes to charge a modern smartphone for one minute of talk time. This highlights how even small units can offer a clearer perspective on our energy usage, encouraging us to be more mindful of our energy habits!
| Calories | Watt-minutes |
|---|---|
0
cal
|
0
Wm
|
10
cal
|
0.697333
Wm
|
20
cal
|
1.39467
Wm
|
30
cal
|
2.092
Wm
|
40
cal
|
2.78933
Wm
|
50
cal
|
3.48667
Wm
|
60
cal
|
4.184
Wm
|
70
cal
|
4.88133
Wm
|
80
cal
|
5.57867
Wm
|
90
cal
|
6.276
Wm
|
100
cal
|
6.97333
Wm
|
110
cal
|
7.67067
Wm
|
120
cal
|
8.368
Wm
|
130
cal
|
9.06533
Wm
|
140
cal
|
9.76267
Wm
|
150
cal
|
10.46
Wm
|
160
cal
|
11.15733
Wm
|
170
cal
|
11.85467
Wm
|
180
cal
|
12.552
Wm
|
190
cal
|
13.24933
Wm
|
200
cal
|
13.94667
Wm
|
210
cal
|
14.644
Wm
|
220
cal
|
15.34133
Wm
|
230
cal
|
16.03867
Wm
|
240
cal
|
16.736
Wm
|
250
cal
|
17.43333
Wm
|
260
cal
|
18.13067
Wm
|
270
cal
|
18.828
Wm
|
280
cal
|
19.52533
Wm
|
290
cal
|
20.22267
Wm
|
300
cal
|
20.92
Wm
|
310
cal
|
21.61733
Wm
|
320
cal
|
22.31467
Wm
|
330
cal
|
23.012
Wm
|
340
cal
|
23.70933
Wm
|
350
cal
|
24.40667
Wm
|
360
cal
|
25.104
Wm
|
370
cal
|
25.80133
Wm
|
380
cal
|
26.49867
Wm
|
390
cal
|
27.196
Wm
|
400
cal
|
27.89333
Wm
|
410
cal
|
28.59067
Wm
|
420
cal
|
29.288
Wm
|
430
cal
|
29.98533
Wm
|
440
cal
|
30.68267
Wm
|
450
cal
|
31.38
Wm
|
460
cal
|
32.07733
Wm
|
470
cal
|
32.77467
Wm
|
480
cal
|
33.472
Wm
|
490
cal
|
34.16933
Wm
|
500
cal
|
34.86667
Wm
|
510
cal
|
35.564
Wm
|
520
cal
|
36.26133
Wm
|
530
cal
|
36.95867
Wm
|
540
cal
|
37.656
Wm
|
550
cal
|
38.35333
Wm
|
560
cal
|
39.05067
Wm
|
570
cal
|
39.748
Wm
|
580
cal
|
40.44533
Wm
|
590
cal
|
41.14267
Wm
|
600
cal
|
41.84
Wm
|
610
cal
|
42.53733
Wm
|
620
cal
|
43.23467
Wm
|
630
cal
|
43.932
Wm
|
640
cal
|
44.62933
Wm
|
650
cal
|
45.32667
Wm
|
660
cal
|
46.024
Wm
|
670
cal
|
46.72133
Wm
|
680
cal
|
47.41867
Wm
|
690
cal
|
48.116
Wm
|
700
cal
|
48.81333
Wm
|
710
cal
|
49.51067
Wm
|
720
cal
|
50.208
Wm
|
730
cal
|
50.90533
Wm
|
740
cal
|
51.60267
Wm
|
750
cal
|
52.3
Wm
|
760
cal
|
52.99733
Wm
|
770
cal
|
53.69467
Wm
|
780
cal
|
54.392
Wm
|
790
cal
|
55.08933
Wm
|
800
cal
|
55.78667
Wm
|
810
cal
|
56.484
Wm
|
820
cal
|
57.18133
Wm
|
830
cal
|
57.87867
Wm
|
840
cal
|
58.576
Wm
|
850
cal
|
59.27333
Wm
|
860
cal
|
59.97067
Wm
|
870
cal
|
60.668
Wm
|
880
cal
|
61.36533
Wm
|
890
cal
|
62.06267
Wm
|
900
cal
|
62.76
Wm
|
910
cal
|
63.45733
Wm
|
920
cal
|
64.15467
Wm
|
930
cal
|
64.852
Wm
|
940
cal
|
65.54933
Wm
|
950
cal
|
66.24667
Wm
|
960
cal
|
66.944
Wm
|
970
cal
|
67.64133
Wm
|
980
cal
|
68.33867
Wm
|
990
cal
|
69.036
Wm
|
1000
cal
|
69.73333
Wm
|
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