Orders of magnitude (energy)

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This list compares various energies in joules (J), organized by order of magnitude.

[edit] Less than 10^-24

• 3.0×10⁻³¹ J, the average kinetic energy of a molecule at the lowest temperature reached as of 2003

[edit] 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

[edit] 10^-21

SI prefix: zepto- (zJ)

• 4.37×10^-21 J, the average kinetic energy of a molecule at room temperature
• 1.602×10^-19 J ≈ 1 electronvolt (eV)
• 2.7×10^-19 J – 5.2×10^-19 J, the energy range of photons in visible light

[edit] 10^-18

SI prefix: atto- (aJ)

• 5.0×10^-18 J, the upper bound of the mass-energy of a neutrino in particle physics

[edit] 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

[edit] 10^-12

SI prefix: pico- (pJ)

• 3.2×10^-11 J, the average total energy released in the fission of one uranium-235 atom
• 3.5×10^-11 J, the average total energy released in the nuclear fission of one plutonium-239 atom
• 1.503×10^-10 J, the rest mass-energy of a proton
• 1.505×10^-10 J, the rest mass-energy of a neutron
• 3.005×10^-10 J, the rest mass-energy of a deuteron
• 5.972×10^-10 J, the rest mass-energy of an alpha particle

[edit] 10^-9

SI prefix: nano- (nJ)

• 8×10^-9 J, the initial operating energy per beam of the CERN Large Electron Positron Collider in 1983
• 1.3×10^-8 J, the mass-energy of a W boson
• 1.5×10^-8 J, the mass-energy of a Z boson
• 4.3×10^-8 J, the operating energy per beam of the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron accelerator in 1981
• 1×10^-7 J ≡ 1 erg
• 1.6×10^-7 J, one TeV (teraelectronvolt), about the kinetic energy of a flying mosquito^[1]

[edit] 10^-6

SI prefix: micro- (µJ)

• 2×10^-5 J, the energy to pronounce an average syllable of a word^[2]
• 3×10^-5 J, the energy of one second of moonlight on the human face^[2]
• 1.8×10^-4 J, the expected collision energy of lead nuclei in the CERN Large Hadron Collider [6]
• 9×10^-4 J, the energy of a cricket's chirp or a bee's wingbeat^{[2][dubious – discuss]}

[edit] 10^-3

SI prefix: milli- (mJ)

[edit] 10^-2

SI prefix: centi- (cJ)

[edit] 10^-1

SI prefix: deci- (dJ)

• 1×10^-1 J, the energy of a half-dollar falling 1 metre or of a typewriter key press^[2]

[edit] 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

• 1 J ≡ 1 N·m (newton-metre)
• 1 J ≡ 1 W·s (watt-second)
• 1.356 J ≈ 1 ft·lbf (foot-pound force)
• 4.184 J ≡ 1 thermochemical calorie (small calorie)
• 4.1868 J ≡ 1 International Table calorie (small calorie)
• 8 J, the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin theoretical upper limit for the energy of a cosmic ray
• 9.472 J = Most disposable camera flashes use approximately this amount of energy per flash.

[edit] 10¹

SI prefix: deca- (daJ)

• 5×10¹ J, the most energetic cosmic ray ever detected, in 1991
• 8×10¹ J, the kinetic energy of an average person swinging a baseball bat

[edit] 10²

SI prefix: hecto- (hJ)

• 6×10² J, the use of a 10-watt flashlight for one minute^[2]
• 7.457×10² J, a power of one horsepower applied for one second
• 9×10² J, the energy of a lethal dose of X-rays^[2]

[edit] 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׳ J, the energy in shooting an elephant gun, or in striking a match^[2]
• 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[7])
• 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/s^[3]
• 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 speeds^[2]

[edit] 10⁶

SI prefix: mega- (MJ)

• 1×10⁶ J, approximately the nutritional value of a snack such as a Mars bar
• 6.3×10⁶ J, the recommended nutritional intake per day for a woman not doing heavy labour
• 8.4×10⁶ J, the recommended nutritional intake for a man
• 1×10⁷ J, the energy of a day's worth of heavy labour^[2]
• 1.05×10⁸ J ≈ 1 therm, depending on the temperature

[edit] 10⁹

SI prefix: giga- (GJ)

• 1.5×10⁹ J, the energy in an average lightning bolt
• 1.95627185×10⁹ J, Planck energy, the unit of energy in Planck units^[4]
• 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]
• 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 most powerful non-nuclear weapon ever designed
• 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 off^[2]

[edit] 10¹²

SI prefix: tera- (TJ)

• 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)[8]
• 8.78×10¹³ J, the yield of the Fat Man atomic bomb detonated over Nagasaki, Japan at the end of World War II[9]
• 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

[edit] 10¹⁵

SI prefix: peta- (PJ)

• 2.07×10¹⁵ J, the yearly electricity production in Togo, Africa as of 2005^[6]
• 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 2005^[6]
• 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 second^[7]
• 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 2005^[6]
• 4.184×10¹⁷ J, 100 megatons, a potential nuclear weapon yield^[2]
• 8.4×10¹⁷ J, the estimated energy released by the eruption of the Indonesian volcano, Krakatoa, in 1883^[8]

[edit] 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 2005^[6]
• 1.46×10¹⁹J, the yearly electricity production in the U.S. as of 2005^[10]
• 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^[6]
• 6.25*10¹⁹ J, the yearly electricity generation of the world as of 2005^[12]
• 8.01*10²⁰ J, Estimated global uranium resources for generating electricity 2005.^{[13][14][15][16]}

[edit] 10²¹

SI prefix: zetta- (ZJ)

• 6.5×10²¹ J, the estimated energy contained in the world's natural gas reserves as of 2006^[17]
• 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 day^[7]
• 2.1×10²² J, the estimated energy contained in the world's coal reserves as of 2005^[18]
• 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[10]

[edit] 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 year^[7]
• 3.86×10²⁶ J, the total energy output of the Sun each second^[19]
• 3.34×10³¹ J, the total energy output of the Sun each day^[19]
• 2.4×10³² J, the gravitational binding energy of the Earth^[20]
• 2.7×10³³ J, the Earth's kinetic energy in its orbit[11]^[3]
• 1.22×10³⁴ J, the total energy output of the Sun each year^[19]
• 5.37×10⁴¹ J, the theoretical total mass-energy of the Earth
• 6.9×10⁴¹ J, the gravitational binding energy of the Sun^[20]
• 1.2×10⁴⁴ J, the estimated energy released in a supernova^[21]
• 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 universe[12]

[edit] 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. — Based on The International System of Units, section 5.2.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ http://public.web.cern.ch/Public/en/Science/Glossary-en.php
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} Wallechinsky, David; Wallace, Irving; Wallace, Amy (1977 (1st Bantam ed., February 1978)). The Book of Lists. Bantam Books, 268-271. ISBN 0553111507. 
3. ^ ^{a b c}
4. ^
5. ^ ^{a b} Energy Units, by Arthur Smith, 21 January 2005
6. ^ ^{a b c d e} http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/international/iealf/table62.xls from the Energy Information Administration [1]
7. ^ ^{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.
8. ^ Krakatoa#Legacy of the 1883 eruption
9. ^ FAQ. usgs.gov (2006-09-19).
10. ^ http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/international/iealf/table63.xls from the Energy Information Administration [2]
11. ^ FAQ : HURRICANES, TYPHOONS, AND TROPICAL CYCLONES noaa.gov
12. ^ [3]U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Generation
13. ^ ^{a b c} Global Uranium Resource
14. ^ U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Generation
15. ^ U.S. EIA International Energy Outlook 2007.
16. ^ 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
17. ^ http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/reserves.xls from the Energy Information Administration [4]
18. ^ http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/international/iea2003/table82.xls from the Energy Information Administration [5]
19. ^ ^{a b c} The Sun at http://www.nineplanets.org
20. ^ ^{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
21. ^ 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. 

[edit] See also

• Energies per unit mass
• Conversion of units#Energy, work, or heat
• Scientific notation
• Metric system
• List of energy topics