Calorie (thermochemical) to Joule

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Result

4.184

J

Conversion rate: 1 cal = 4.184 J

Showing up to 4 decimal

How it works

The converter uses exact SI-based factors (e.g., 1 foot = 0.3048 meters, 1 inch = 0.0254 meters).

Formula: joules = calorie (thermochemical) × 4.184

Results show between 0 and 8 decimal places and hide trailing zeros for readability.

Conversion Table

Calorie (thermochemical) Joule
1 cal 4.184 J
10 cal 41.84 J
100 cal 418.4 J
1000 cal 4184 J
1000000 cal 4184000 J

History

Calorie (cal)

The calorie (cal) originated in the 19th century as a unit for quantifying heat energy. It was initially defined as the energy required to increase the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius under standard atmospheric pressure. The calorie gained popularity in fields such as chemistry, physics, and nutrition. Despite not being an official SI unit, it remains prevalent on nutritional labels and in dietary contexts, particularly in the United States and Europe. Before the widespread adoption of the joule, the calorie played a significant role in standardizing energy measurements related to food and biological systems.

Joule (J)

The joule (J), recognized as the SI unit of energy, is named in honor of physicist James Prescott Joule. It represents the amount of work performed when a force of one newton moves an object over a distance of one meter. The joule is widely used in physics, thermodynamics, and engineering, providing a standardized way to quantify energy across mechanical, electrical, and thermal processes. Its implementation has enabled researchers and professionals to measure and compare energy values with accuracy and consistency around the globe.

Other Relevant Conversions

J → kJ J → cal J → kcal J → Wh J → kWh J → eV J → BTU kJ → J kJ → cal kJ → kcal kJ → Wh kJ → kWh kJ → eV kJ → BTU cal → J cal → kJ cal → kcal cal → Wh cal → kWh cal → eV cal → BTU kcal → J kcal → kJ kcal → cal kcal → Wh kcal → kWh kcal → eV kcal → BTU Wh → J Wh → kJ Wh → cal Wh → kcal Wh → kWh Wh → eV Wh → BTU kWh → J kWh → kJ kWh → cal kWh → kcal kWh → Wh kWh → eV kWh → BTU eV → J eV → kJ eV → cal eV → kcal eV → Wh eV → kWh eV → BTU BTU → J BTU → kJ BTU → cal BTU → kcal BTU → Wh BTU → kWh BTU → eV