kilocalorie

Physics

(noun)

A non-SI unit of energy equal to 1,000 calories or 4,186 joules; equal to the "calorie" or "Calorie" used in nutritional labeling. Symbol: kcal.

Related Terms

  • thermal equilibrium
  • mechanical equivalent of heat
Chemistry

(noun)

A non-SI unit of energy equal to 1,000 calories, used (now rarely) in chemistry or physics; equal to 1 calorie or Calorie as used in nutrition (symbol: kcal).

Examples of kilocalorie in the following topics:

  • Carbohydrates: Sources, Uses in the Body, and Dietary Requirements

    • Carbohydrate and protein contain 4 kilocalories per gram, while fats contain 9 kilocalories per gram.
  • Heat as Energy Transfer

    • Another common unit of heat is the kilocalorie (kcal), which is the energy needed to change the temperature of 1.00 kg of water by 1.00ºC.
    • Since mass is often specified in kilograms, kilocalorie is commonly used.
    • Food calories (given the notation Cal, and sometimes called "big calorie") are actually kilocalories (1kilocalorie=1000 calories), a fact not easily determined from package labeling in the United States, but more common in Europe and elsewhere.
  • Bond Energy

    • To convert kilocalories into kilojoules multiply by 4.184.
  • Introduction to Scalars and Vectors

    • For example, a 20ºC temperature, the 250 kilocalories (250 Calories) of energy in a candy bar, a 90 km/h speed limit, a person's 1.8 m height, and a distance of 2.0 m are all scalars, or quantities with no specified direction.
  • Phosphorus Compounds

    • The chemistry of phosphorus is often dominated by the strength of the oxygen-phosphorus bond, which is around 152 kcal/mol (kilocalories per mole).
  • Food Chains and Food Webs

    • He found that the primary producers generated 20,819 kcal/m2/yr (kilocalories per square meter per year), the primary consumers generated 3368 kcal/m2/yr, the secondary consumers generated 383 kcal/m2/yr, and the tertiary consumers only generated 21 kcal/m2/yr.
  • Animal Bioenergetics

    • The rate is measured in joules, calories, or kilocalories (1000 calories).
  • Free Energy

    • The standard free energy change of a chemical reaction is expressed as an amount of energy per mole of the reaction product (either in kilojoules or kilocalories, kJ/mol or kcal/mol; 1 kJ = 0.239 kcal) under standard pH, temperature, and pressure conditions.
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