How many ergs is 5 cal?

5 × 41,840,000 = 209,200,000 ergs. A small but measurable amount in physics.

Why multiply by 41.84 million?

1 cal = 4.184 J, 1 erg = 10⁻⁷ J, so 1 cal = 4.184/10⁻⁷ = 41.84 million ergs.

Is this conversion used today?

Rarely — SI units have replaced CGS. Ergs appear mainly in older texts and astrophysics.

The work done by a force of one dyne over one centimeter: 1 erg = 1 g·cm²/s² = 10⁻⁷ J. See [Calories to Joules](/energy/calories-to-joules/) for SI.

Calories (cal) to Ergs Converter

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From

Precision4 dp

1 Calorie (thermochemical) = 41840000 Erg

Key Formulas

Kilocalorie → Kilojoule

kJ = kcal × 4.184

Kilojoule → Kilocalorie

kcal = kJ × 0.239006

Kilowatt-Hour → Joule

J = kWh × 3600000

Joule → Kilowatt-Hour

kWh = J × 2.77778e-7

Formula

erg = cal × 41840000

One thermochemical calorie equals 41.84 million ergs. Since 1 cal = 4.184 J and 1 erg = 10⁻⁷ J, the conversion is simply 4.184/10⁻⁷ = 41,840,000 erg. This conversion appears in older physics texts and CGS system calculations.

Source: NIST SP 811, Table B.8

Frequently Asked Questions

Real-World Examples

A physics student learning that 1 cal equals 41.84 million ergs — the homework set.

1 cal = 41840000 erg

A mechanical engineer calculating 1000 cal of work equals 41.84 billion ergs for the legacy system.

1000 cal = 41840000000 erg

A researcher measuring 100 cal of heat energy records 4.184 billion ergs in the lab notebook.

100 cal = 4184000000 erg

A chemist analyzing 10 cal of reaction heat writes 418.4 million ergs in the paper.

10 cal = 418400000 erg

kcal to kj kj to kcal kwh to joules joules to kwh btu to joules calories to joules

Calories (cal) to Ergs Converter

Key Formulas

Formula

Frequently Asked Questions

Real-World Examples

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