Kilocalorie to Erg Converter

A kilocalorie (kcal), also called a food calorie or large calorie, is a unit of energy equal to 1,000 small calories or approximately 4,184 joules. It represents the energy needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius.

The kilocalorie was developed in the 19th century for measuring heat and energy, particularly in nutrition and metabolism studies. It became the standard unit for food energy content and metabolic energy measurements, though many countries have since adopted kilojoules for food labeling.

Kilocalories are widely used in nutrition and dietetics, particularly in the United States, for measuring food energy content and daily energy requirements. They're found on food labels, diet plans, exercise equipment, and in medical and fitness applications for energy balance calculations.

An erg is a unit of energy in the centimeter-gram-second (CGS) system, equal to 10⁻⁷ joules. It represents the work done by a force of one dyne acting through a distance of one centimeter.

The erg was developed as part of the CGS unit system in the late 19th century. It was widely used in physics and engineering before the adoption of SI units, particularly in mechanics, thermodynamics, and electromagnetic calculations where CGS units were preferred.

Ergs are rarely used in modern applications, appearing mainly in historical scientific literature and some specialized physics contexts. They've been largely replaced by joules in all practical applications, though they may still appear in some older scientific references and specialized calculations.