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Joules
Abbreviation/Symbol:
J
Unit of:
Energy and power
Worldwide use:
Widely used in energy measurement
Definition:
One Joule is 1 Newton Metre, ie the work done or energy transfered to an object when a one Newton force acts on it over one metre. It can also be defined as the heat energy dissipated by a current of one ampere passing through a one Ohm resistor for one second
Origin:
The Joule is named after James Prescott Joule, an English physicist and brewer. Joule studied heat, and discovered the relationship between heat and mechanical work
Common references:
One joule is approximately the ammount of electrical energy needed to light a 1 watt LED for 1 s. A person at rest typically generates about 60 joules of heat per minute.
Usage context:
commonly used in design and engineering
Component units:
Often subdivided into milli and microjoules
Multiples:
There are 1,000 joules in a Kilojoule , 1,000,000 in a Megajoule, etc.