Home Preparation for National Talent Search Examination (NTSE)/ Olympiad
Chapter : 3. Work and Energy
Energy & its Unit
Definition : Energy is the ability to do work. The amount of energy possessed by a body is equal to the amount of work it can do when its energy is released. Thus, energy is defined as the capacity of doing work. Energy is a scalar quantity and it exists in various forms. Units of energy :The units of energy are the same as that of work. In SI system, the unit of energy is joule (J). In CGS system, the unit of energy is erg. 1 Joule = 107 ergs Other units of energy in common use are watt-hour and kilowatt hour. 1 watt-hour = 1 watt × 1 hour = 1 watt × 60 × 60 sec = 3600 J 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh) = 3.6 × 106 Joule Heat energy is usually measured in calorie or kilocalorie such that 1 calorie = 4.18 J A very small unit of energy is electron volt(eV). 1 eV = 1.6 × 10–19 J