Joule to Electron Volt Converter

A joule (J) is the SI base unit of energy, defined as the energy expended when applying a force of one newton through a distance of one meter. It represents the fundamental measure of energy, work, and heat in the International System of Units.

The joule was named after English physicist James Prescott Joule in 1889, who studied the relationship between heat and mechanical work. It was adopted as the SI unit of energy in 1960, replacing various other energy units and providing a unified measure for all forms of energy.

Joules are universally used in scientific calculations, physics education, engineering applications, and energy measurements. They're fundamental to all energy calculations in science and engineering, from atomic-scale processes to mechanical systems, and are the basis for all other energy units.

An electron volt (eV) is a unit of energy equal to approximately 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ joules. It represents the kinetic energy gained by an electron when accelerated through an electric potential difference of one volt.

The electron volt was introduced in the early 20th century with the development of atomic and nuclear physics. It provided a convenient energy scale for atomic and subatomic processes, where joules would result in extremely small numbers with many decimal places.

Electron volts are extensively used in atomic physics, nuclear physics, particle physics, and materials science. They're standard for measuring atomic binding energies, photon energies, particle accelerator energies, and electronic band gaps in semiconductors.