The unit representing the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C is known as what?

The unit representing the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C is known as what?

• A. Calorie
• B. Joule
• C. Watt
• D. Newton

Answer: (A)

Heat energy is quantified in units like calories and joules, and in nutrition the Calorie (capital C) is used to represent a kilocalorie. The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C is 1 kilocalorie, which is the same as 1000 small calories and equals about 4184 joules. On food labels and in dietary contexts, that energy amount is referred to as a Calorie. The other options don’t fit because a joule is a general energy unit (not the special nutrition term), a watt is a unit of power, and a newton is a unit of force.

Heat energy is quantified in units like calories and joules, and in nutrition the Calorie (capital C) is used to represent a kilocalorie. The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C is 1 kilocalorie, which is the same as 1000 small calories and equals about 4184 joules. On food labels and in dietary contexts, that energy amount is referred to as a Calorie. The other options don’t fit because a joule is a general energy unit (not the special nutrition term), a watt is a unit of power, and a newton is a unit of force.