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-second is a unit of energy that represents the amount of work done when a power of one watt is sustained for one second. This unit is a direct way to visualize energy transfer in everyday activities. Interestingly, while it may sound abstract, this unit can be directly applied to understand how quick appliances like LED lights or small electronic devices consume energy. For example, a modern LED bulb that consumes 10 watts of power will use 10 watt-seconds of energy every second it is on.
While commonly overshadowed by the more familiar joule, the watt-second is essentially equivalent to one joule. Its simplicity in denoting power over time makes it a cornerstone concept in physics and engineering, where it is applied to calculate specific energy transfers and efficiency in varied systems. Exploring this unit helps bridge the gap between theoretical energy calculations and practical everyday energy use.
| Calories | Watt-seconds |
|---|---|
0
cal
|
0
Ws
|
10
cal
|
41.84
Ws
|
20
cal
|
83.68
Ws
|
30
cal
|
125.52
Ws
|
40
cal
|
167.36
Ws
|
50
cal
|
209.2
Ws
|
60
cal
|
251.04
Ws
|
70
cal
|
292.88
Ws
|
80
cal
|
334.72
Ws
|
90
cal
|
376.56
Ws
|
100
cal
|
418.4
Ws
|
110
cal
|
460.24
Ws
|
120
cal
|
502.08
Ws
|
130
cal
|
543.92
Ws
|
140
cal
|
585.76
Ws
|
150
cal
|
627.6
Ws
|
160
cal
|
669.44
Ws
|
170
cal
|
711.28
Ws
|
180
cal
|
753.12
Ws
|
190
cal
|
794.96
Ws
|
200
cal
|
836.8
Ws
|
210
cal
|
878.64
Ws
|
220
cal
|
920.48
Ws
|
230
cal
|
962.32
Ws
|
240
cal
|
1004.16
Ws
|
250
cal
|
1046
Ws
|
260
cal
|
1087.84
Ws
|
270
cal
|
1129.68
Ws
|
280
cal
|
1171.52
Ws
|
290
cal
|
1213.36
Ws
|
300
cal
|
1255.2
Ws
|
310
cal
|
1297.04
Ws
|
320
cal
|
1338.88
Ws
|
330
cal
|
1380.72
Ws
|
340
cal
|
1422.56
Ws
|
350
cal
|
1464.4
Ws
|
360
cal
|
1506.24
Ws
|
370
cal
|
1548.08
Ws
|
380
cal
|
1589.92
Ws
|
390
cal
|
1631.76
Ws
|
400
cal
|
1673.6
Ws
|
410
cal
|
1715.44
Ws
|
420
cal
|
1757.28
Ws
|
430
cal
|
1799.12
Ws
|
440
cal
|
1840.96
Ws
|
450
cal
|
1882.8
Ws
|
460
cal
|
1924.64
Ws
|
470
cal
|
1966.48
Ws
|
480
cal
|
2008.32
Ws
|
490
cal
|
2050.16
Ws
|
500
cal
|
2092
Ws
|
510
cal
|
2133.84
Ws
|
520
cal
|
2175.68
Ws
|
530
cal
|
2217.52
Ws
|
540
cal
|
2259.36
Ws
|
550
cal
|
2301.2
Ws
|
560
cal
|
2343.04
Ws
|
570
cal
|
2384.88
Ws
|
580
cal
|
2426.72
Ws
|
590
cal
|
2468.56
Ws
|
600
cal
|
2510.4
Ws
|
610
cal
|
2552.24
Ws
|
620
cal
|
2594.08
Ws
|
630
cal
|
2635.92
Ws
|
640
cal
|
2677.76
Ws
|
650
cal
|
2719.6
Ws
|
660
cal
|
2761.44
Ws
|
670
cal
|
2803.28
Ws
|
680
cal
|
2845.12
Ws
|
690
cal
|
2886.96
Ws
|
700
cal
|
2928.8
Ws
|
710
cal
|
2970.64
Ws
|
720
cal
|
3012.48
Ws
|
730
cal
|
3054.32
Ws
|
740
cal
|
3096.16
Ws
|
750
cal
|
3138
Ws
|
760
cal
|
3179.84
Ws
|
770
cal
|
3221.68
Ws
|
780
cal
|
3263.52
Ws
|
790
cal
|
3305.36
Ws
|
800
cal
|
3347.2
Ws
|
810
cal
|
3389.04
Ws
|
820
cal
|
3430.88
Ws
|
830
cal
|
3472.72
Ws
|
840
cal
|
3514.56
Ws
|
850
cal
|
3556.4
Ws
|
860
cal
|
3598.24
Ws
|
870
cal
|
3640.08
Ws
|
880
cal
|
3681.92
Ws
|
890
cal
|
3723.76
Ws
|
900
cal
|
3765.6
Ws
|
910
cal
|
3807.44
Ws
|
920
cal
|
3849.28
Ws
|
930
cal
|
3891.12
Ws
|
940
cal
|
3932.96
Ws
|
950
cal
|
3974.8
Ws
|
960
cal
|
4016.64
Ws
|
970
cal
|
4058.48
Ws
|
980
cal
|
4100.32
Ws
|
990
cal
|
4142.16
Ws
|
1000
cal
|
4184
Ws
|
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