This list compares various energies in joules (J), organized by order of magnitude.
Less than 10-24
10-24
SI prefix: yocto- (yJ)
- 1.5×10-23 J, the average kinetic energy of a molecule in the Boomerang Nebula, the coldest place known outside of a laboratory, at a temperature of 1 kelvin
10-21
SI prefix: zepto- (zJ)
10-18
SI prefix: atto- (aJ)
10-15
SI prefix: femto- (fJ)
- 5.0×10-14 J, the upper bound of the mass-energy of a muon neutrino
- 8.187×10-14 J, the rest mass-energy of an electron
10-12
SI prefix: pico- (pJ)
10-9
SI prefix: nano- (nJ)
10-6
SI prefix: micro- (µJ)
10-3
SI prefix: milli- (mJ)
10-2
SI prefix: centi- (cJ)
10-1
SI prefix: deci- (dJ)
- 1×10-1 J, the energy of a half-dollar falling 1 metre or of a typewriter key press2
100
1 J in everyday life is approximately:
- the energy required to lift a small apple (102 grams) one meter against Earth's gravity
- the amount of energy that a quiet person produces as heat, every hundredth of a second
- the energy required to heat one gram of dry, cool air by 1 degree Celsius
101
SI prefix: deca- (daJ)
102
SI prefix: hecto- (hJ)
- 6×102 J, the use of a 10-watt flashlight for one minute2
- 7.457×102 J, a power of one horsepower applied for one second
- 9×102 J, the energy of a lethal dose of X-rays2
103
SI prefix: kilo- (kJ)
- 1×103 J, the energy stored in a typical photography studio strobe light
- 1.05×103 J ≈ 1 British thermal unit (BTU), depending on the temperature
- 1.2×103 J, the energy in shooting an elephant gun
- 1.366×103 J, the total solar radiation received from the Sun by one square meter of the Earth's surface per second (this is the solar constant[8])
- 1.42×103 J, the kinetic energy of a 3.5 g (grams) AK-74 bullet fired at 900 m/s (metres per second)3
- 3.28×103 J, the kinetic energy of a 9.33 g NATO rifle cartridge fired at 838 m/s3
- 3.600×103 J ≡ 1 W·h (watt-hour)
- 4.184×103 J, the energy released by explosion of one gram of TNT
- 4.186×103 J ≡ 1 food Calorie (large calorie)
- 1.7×104 J, the energy released by the metabolism of one gram of sugar or protein
- 3.8×104 J, the energy released by the metabolism of one gram of fat
- 5.0×104 J, the energy released by the combustion of one gram of gasoline
- 2×105 J—9×105 J, the average kinetic energy of an automobile at highway speeds
- 9×105 J, the energy of accelerating a 4-ton truck to highway speeds2
106
SI prefix: mega- (MJ)
- 1×106 J, the kinetic energy of a one tonne vehicle at 45 metres per second (100 miles per hour)
- 1×106 J, approximately the food energy of a snack such as a Mars bar
- 3.6×106 J, = 1 kilowatt-hour (electricity consumption)
- 6.3×106 J, the recommended food energy intake per day for a woman not doing heavy labour
- 8.4×106 J, the recommended food energy intake per day for a man
- 1×107 J, the energy of a day's worth of heavy labour2
- 1×108 J, the kinetic energy of a 55 tonne aircraft at typical landing speed (115 knots or 59 m/s)
- 1.05×108 J ≈ 1 therm, depending on the temperature
- 7.25×108 J ≈ energy from burning 16 kilogram of oil (using 135 kg per barrel of light crude)
109
SI prefix: giga- (GJ)
- 1.2x109J, the theoretical minimum amount of energy required to melt a tonne of steel (25°C to 1523°C, equivalent to 330kWh)
- 1.5×109 J, the energy in an average lightning bolt
- 1.6×109 J, the magnetic stored energy in the world's largest toroidal superconducting magnet for the ATLAS experiment at CERN, Geneva
- 1.95627185×109 J, Planck energy, the unit of energy in Planck units4
- 3.2×109 J, the approximate annual power usage of a standard clothes dryer
- 6.12×109 J ≈ 1 bboe (barrel of oil equivalent)5
- 2.3×1010 J, the kinetic energy of an Airbus A380 at cruising speed (560 tonne at 562 knots or 289 m/s)
- 4.19×1010 J ≈ 1 toe (ton of oil equivalent)5
- 5×1010 J, the yield energy of a MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast) bomb, the second most powerful non-nuclear weapon ever designed (after the Russian Father of All Bombs)
- 7.2×1010 J, the energy consumed by the average U.S. automobile in the year 2000
- 8.64×1010 J ≈ 1 MW·d (megawatt-day), used in the context of power plants
- 9×1011 J, the energy of an Atlas rocket blasting off2
1012
SI prefix: tera- (TJ)
- 3.6×1012 J, the average orbital kinetic energy of the Mir space station (124 tonnes at about 7680 m/s)
- 8.2×1012 J, the orbital kinetic energy of the International Space Station (277 tonnes at 7710 m/s)
- 1×1013 J, the energy of the maximum fuel an Airbus A380 can carry (248 tonnes of Jet A-1 at 43.15 MJ per kg)
- 1.5×1013 J, the total human energy consumption per second
- 3.6×1013 J, released by an average thunderstorm
- 6.3×1013 J, the approximate yield of the Little Boy atomic bomb detonated over Hiroshima, Japan at the end of World War II (see the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki)[9]
- 8.78×1013 J, the yield of the Fat Man atomic bomb detonated over Nagasaki, Japan at the end of World War II[10]
- 9.0×1013 J, the theoretical total mass-energy of one gram of matter
- 6×1014 J, the energy released by an average hurricane in one second
1015
SI prefix: peta- (PJ)
- 2.07×1015 J, the yearly electricity production in Togo, Africa as of 20056
- 4.184×1015 J, the amount of energy in 1 megaton of TNT
- 1.0×1016 J, the estimated impact energy released in forming Meteor Crater
- 4.42×1016 J, the yearly electricity consumption in Zimbabwe as of 20056
- 8.988×1016 J, the amount of energy in 1 kilogram of antimatter
- 1.74×1017 J, the total energy from the Sun that strikes the face of the Earth each second7
- 2.1×1017 J, the yield of the Tsar Bomba, the largest nuclear weapon ever tested
- 4.10×1017 J, the yearly electricity consumption of Norway as of 20056
- 4.184×1017 J, 100 megatons, a potential nuclear weapon yield2
- 8.4×1017 J, the estimated energy released by the eruption of the Indonesian volcano, Krakatoa, in 18838
1018
SI prefix: exa- (EJ)
- 2×1018 J, 475 megatons, the energy released by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake 9
- 1.37×1019 J, the yearly electricity consumption in the U.S. as of 20056
- 1.46×1019J, the yearly electricity production in the U.S. as of 200510
- 5.2×1019 J, the daily energy released by an average hurricane producing rain (400 times greater than the wind energy).11
- 5.67×1019 J, the yearly electricity consumption of the world as of 2005[update]6
- 6.25×1019 J, the yearly electricity generation of the world as of 2005[update]12
- 4.37x1020 J, Total World Annual Energy consumption (15TW years)
- 8.01×1020 J, estimated global uranium resources for generating electricity 2005.13141516
1021
SI prefix: zetta- (ZJ)
- 6.5×1021 J, the estimated energy contained in the world's natural gas reserves as of 200617
- 7.4×1021 J, the estimated energy contained in the world's petroleum reserves as of 2003
- 1.5×1022J, the total energy from the Sun that strikes the face of the Earth each day7
- 2.1×1022 J, the estimated energy contained in the world's coal reserves as of 200518
- 2.9×1022 J, identified global Uranium-238 resources using fast reactor technology.13
- 3.9×1022 J, the estimated energy contained in the world's fossil fuel reserves as of 2003
- 2.2×1023 J, total global Uranium-238 resources using fast reactor technology.13
- 5.0×1023 J, the approximate energy released in the formation of the Chicxulub Crater in the Yucatán Peninsula[11]
1024 and above
SI prefix: yotta- (YJ)
- 5.5×1024 J, the total energy from the Sun that strikes the face of the Earth each year7
- 3.86×1026 J, the total energy output of the Sun each second19
- 3.34×1031 J, the total energy output of the Sun each day19
- 2.4×1032 J, the gravitational binding energy of the Earth20
- 2.7×1033 J, the Earth's kinetic energy in its orbit21
- 1.22×1034 J, the total energy output of the Sun each year19
- 5.37×1041 J, the theoretical total mass-energy of the Earth
- 6.9×1041 J, the gravitational binding energy of the Sun20
- 1.2×1044 J, the estimated energy released in a supernova22
- 1×1046 J, the estimated energy released in a hypernova
- 1×1047 J, the energy released in an intense gamma ray burst
- 1.8×1047 J, the theoretical total mass-energy of the Sun
- 4×1058 J, the visible mass-energy in our galaxy, the Milky Way
- 1×1059 J, the total mass-energy of the galaxy, including dark matter and dark energy
- 4×1069 J, the estimated total mass-energy of the observable universe.23
SI multiples
SI multiples for joule (J)
| Submultiples |
|
Multiples |
| Value |
Symbol |
Name |
|
Value |
Symbol |
Name |
| 10–1 J |
dJ |
decijoule |
|
101 J |
daJ |
decajoule |
| 10–2 J |
cJ |
centijoule |
102 J |
hJ |
hectojoule |
| 10–3 J |
mJ |
millijoule |
103 J |
kJ |
kilojoule |
| 10–6 J |
µJ |
microjoule |
106 J |
MJ |
megajoule |
| 10–9 J |
nJ |
nanojoule |
109 J |
GJ |
gigajoule |
| 10–12 J |
pJ |
picojoule |
1012 J |
TJ |
terajoule |
| 10–15 J |
fJ |
femtojoule |
1015 J |
PJ |
petajoule |
| 10–18 J |
aJ |
attojoule |
1018 J |
EJ |
exajoule |
| 10–21 J |
zJ |
zeptojoule |
1021 J |
ZJ |
zettajoule |
| 10–24 J |
yJ |
yoctojoule |
1024 J |
YJ |
yottajoule |
|
| This SI unit is named after James Prescott Joule. As with every SI unit whose name is derived from the proper name of a person, the first letter of its symbol is uppercase (J). When an SI unit is spelled out in English, it should always begin with a lowercase letter (joule), except where any word would be capitalized, such as at the beginning of a sentence or in capitalized material such as a title. Note that "degree Celsius" conforms to this rule because the "d" is lowercase.
|
Notes
- ^ CERN - Glossary
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wallechinsky, David; Wallace, Irving; Wallace, Amy (1977 (1st Bantam ed., February 1978)). The Book of Lists, Bantam Books. pp.268-271. ISBN 0553111507.
- ^ a b

- ^

- ^ a b Energy Units, by Arthur Smith, 21 January 2005
- ^ a b c d e http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/international/iealf/table62.xls from the Energy Information Administration [1]
- ^ a b c The Earth has a cross section of 1.274×1014 square meters and the solar constant is 1366 watts per square meter.
- ^ Krakatoa#Legacy of the 1883 eruption
- ^ "FAQ". usgs.gov (2006-09-19).
- ^ http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/international/iealf/table63.xls from the Energy Information Administration [2]
- ^ FAQ : HURRICANES, TYPHOONS, AND TROPICAL CYCLONES noaa.gov
- ^ [3]U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Generation
- ^ a b c Global Uranium Resource
- ^ U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Generation
- ^ U.S. EIA International Energy Outlook 2007.
- ^ Final number is computed. Energy Outlook 2007 shows 15.9% of world energy is nuclear. IAEA estimates conventional uranium stock, at today's prices is sufficient for 85 years. Convert billion KW hours to joules then: 6.25*10^19 x .159 x 85 = 8.01*10^20
- ^ http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/reserves.xls from the Energy Information Administration [4]
- ^ http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/international/iea2003/table82.xls from the Energy Information Administration [5]
- ^ a b c The Sun at http://www.nineplanets.org
- ^ a b

Chandrasekhar, S. 1939, An Introduction to the Study of Stellar Structure (Chicago: U. of Chicago; reprinted in New York: Dover), section 9, eqs. 90-92, p. 51 (Dover edition)
Lang, K. R. 1980, Astrophysical Formulae (Berlin: Springer Verlag), p. 272
- ^ [6]
- ^ Khokhlov, A.; Mueller, E.; Hoeflich, P. (1993). "Light curves of Type IA supernova models with different explosion mechanisms". Astronomy and Astrophysics 270 (1-2): 223–248, http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?1993A%26A...270..223K. Retrieved on 10 July 2007.
- ^ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/980211b.html
See also
|