Today I found out that one Calorie is equivalent to one gram of TNT in terms of energy. First of all, lets clarify what is one calorie means. A Calorie is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. One Calorie is also approximately 4.184 kilojoules or about 1.16 watt/hours.
TNT (Trinitrotoluene), is a chemical compound. This yellow-colored solid is sometimes used as a reagent in chemical synthesis, but it is best known as a useful explosive material with convenient handling properties. The explosive yield of TNT is considered to be the standard measure of strength of bombs and other explosives. Unlike a Calorie though, TNT is also an actual thing, namely Trinitrotoluene, which is a yellow colored substance that has some interesting properties for an explosive.
The explosive yield of TNT is considered the standard measure for strength of bombs and other explosives with 1 ton of TNT equaling 4.184 gigajoules. So 1 kg of TNT then equals 4.6 megajoules, thus a single gram of TNT is equivalent in energy to one Calorie.
For further comparison, 1 kg of gunpowder will produce 3 megajoules of energy when exploding (about 2/3 kg of TNT), 1 kg of dynamite contains 7.5 megajoules when exploding (about 1.6 kg of TNT), 1 kg of gasoline produces 47.2 megajoules (about 10.26 kg of TNT), though of course requires an oxidant.
Now I know...
Originated from Today I Found Out
