Calories and joules are both units of energy, but they're used in different contexts. A calorie is defined as the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius at standard atmospheric pressure. A joule is the SI unit of energy, defined as the energy transferred when applying a force of 1 newton through a distance of 1 meter.
| Calories (cal) | Joules (J) |
|---|---|
| 1 cal | 4.184 J |
| 5 cal | 20.92 J |
| 10 cal | 41.84 J |
| 100 cal | 418.4 J |
| 1000 cal | 4184 J |
To convert calories to joules, multiply the number of calories by 4.184. This is because 1 calorie equals 4.184 joules.
To convert 50 calories to joules:
50 calories × 4.184 = 209.2 joules
To convert joules to calories, divide the number of joules by 4.184. This is the inverse of the calories to joules conversion.
To convert 100 joules to calories:
100 joules ÷ 4.184 = 23.9 calories
Calories are commonly used in:
Joules are commonly used in: