kilocalorie

(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

Examples of kilocalorie in the following topics:

  • 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.

  • 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.