“ What is the Units of Energy?”
The capacity of an agent to do work is known as its
energy. The most important forms of
energy are mechanical energy, electrical energy and thermal energy. Different units have been assigned to various
forms of energy. However, it must be realized
that since mechanical, electrical and thermal energies are interchangeable, it
is possible to assign the same unit to them.
1.
Mechanical
energy. The unit of
mechanical energy is newton- metre or joule on the M.K.S. or SI system. The work
done on a body is one newton-metre (or joule) if a force of one newton moves it
through a distance of one metre i.e., Mechanical energy in joules = Force in
newton × distance in metres
2.
Electrical
energy. The unit of
electrical energy is watt-sec or joule and is defined as follows: One
watt-second (or joule) energy is transferred between two points if a p.d. of 1
volt exists between them and 1 ampere current passes between them for 1 second
i.e.,
Electrical energy in watt-sec (or joules)
=
voltage in volts × current in amperes × time in seconds
Joule or watt-sec is a very small unit of electrical energy
for practical purposes. In practice, for
the measurement of electrical energy, bigger units viz., watt-hour and kilowatt
hour are used.
1 watt-hour = 1 watt × 1 hr
= 1 watt × 3600 sec
= 3600 watt-sec
1 kilowatt hour (kWh) = 1 kW × 1 hr = 1000 watt × 3600 sec = 36 x 105
watt-sec.
3.
Heat. Heat is a form of energy which produces the
sensation of warmth. The unit* of heat
is calorie, British thermal unit (B.Th.U.) and centigrade heat units (C.H.U.)
on the various systems.
Calorie.
It is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gm of
water through 1ºC
i.e., 1 calorie = 1 gm of water × 1ºC
Sometimes a bigger unit namely kilocalorie is used. A
kilocalorie is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of
water through 1ºC i.e.,
1 kilocalorie = 1 kg × 1ºC = 1000 gm × 1ºC =
1000 calories
B.Th.U. It is the amount of heat required to raise
the temperature of 1 lb of water through 1ºF i.e.,
1 B.Th.U. = 1 lb × 1ºF
C.H.U. It is the amount of heat required to raise
the temperature of 1 lb of water through 1ºC i.e.,
1 C.H.U. = 1 lb ×
1ºC