Calories To Gigajoules Conversion

1 cal = 0.0000000041868 GJ

Want to convert from gigajoules to calories instead?

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How to convert calories to gigajoules (cal to GJ)

The formula for converting calories to gigajoules is: GJ = cal × 0.0000000041868. To calculate the calorie value in gigajoules first substitute the calorie value into the preceding formula, and then perform the calculation. If we wanted to calculate 1 calorie in gigajoules we follow these steps:

GJ = cal × 0.0000000041868

GJ = 1 × 0.0000000041868

GJ = 0.0000000041868

In other words, 1 calorie is equal to 0.0000000041868 gigajoules.

Example Conversion

Let's take a look at an example. The step-by-step process to convert 4 calories to gigajoules is:

Understand the conversion formula: GJ = cal × 0.0000000041868
Substitute the required value. In this case we substitute 4 for cal so the formula becomes: GJ = 4 × 0.0000000041868
Calculate the result using the provided values. In our example the result is: 4 × 0.0000000041868 = 0.0000000167472 GJ

In summary, 4 calories is equal to 0.0000000167472 gigajoules.

Converting gigajoules to calories

In order to convert the other way around i.e. gigajoules to calories, you would use the following formula: cal = GJ × 238845896.6275. To convert gigajoules to calories first substitute the gigajoule value into the above formula, and then execute the calculation. If we wanted to calculate 1 gigajoule in calories we follow these steps:

cal = GJ × 238845896.6275

cal = 1 × 238845896.6275

cal = 238845896.6275

Or in other words, 1 gigajoule is equal to 238845896.6275 calories.

Conversion Unit Definitions

What is a Calorie?

A calorie (cal) is a unit of energy commonly used in nutrition. It represents the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius (or one degree Kelvin). In the context of nutrition, the term "calorie" usually refers to a kilocalorie, which is equal to 1,000 calories in scientific terms.

The energy content of food and beverages is often measured in kilocalories, abbreviated as kcal or Cal (with an uppercase "C" to distinguish it from the smaller "cal" used in physics).

In scientific terms, 1 kilocalorie is equal to 4.184 kilojoules (kJ). The conversion factor between kilocalories (kcal) and kilojoules (kJ) is 1 kcal = 4.184 kJ.

In everyday language, when people refer to the number of calories in food, they are usually referring to kilocalories. For example, if a food label says a serving contains 200 calories, it means 200 kilocalories or 200,000 calories in scientific terms.

What is a Gigajoule?

A gigajoule (GJ) is a metric unit of energy in the International System of Units (SI). One gigajoule is equal to 1,000,000,000 joules or 1×10⁹ joules. The prefix "giga-" signifies a factor of one billion, so a gigajoule represents a very large amount of energy.

Gigajoules are commonly used to measure significant amounts of energy in various contexts, especially in large-scale industries, energy production, and transportation sectors. For example, the energy content of fuels, the electricity consumption of cities, and the energy output of power plants are often expressed in gigajoules due to the large quantities involved.

To put it in perspective, one gigajoule is roughly equivalent to the energy content of about 26,000 liters of gasoline or the energy produced by burning approximately 24,000 pounds (about 11,000 kilograms) of coal.