calorie

(noun)

The energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 kelvin. It is equivalent to 1,000 (small) calories.

Related Terms

  • oxidation
  • metabolism

Examples of calorie in the following topics:

  • Heat as Energy Transfer

    • The calorie (cal) is a common unit of energy, defined as the energy needed to change the temperature of 1.00 g of water by 1.00ºC —specifically, between 14.5ºC and 15.5ºC, since there is a slight temperature dependence.
    • 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.
  • Humans: Work, Energy, and Power

    • About 75% of the calories burned in a day go into these basic functions.
    • The BMR is a function of age, gender, total body weight, and amount of muscle mass (which burns more calories than body fat).
  • 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.
  • Human Metabolism

    • Food energy is reported in a special unit, known as the Calorie.
  • Heat Capacity

    • (The temperature dependence is why the definition a calorie is formally the energy needed to heat 1 g of water from 14.5 to 15.5 °C instead of generally by 1 °C. )
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