British Thermal Units (IT) (BTU) to Ergs (erg) conversion

1 BTU = 10550560000 ergerg → BTU
Formula
1 BTU = 10550560000 erg

Understanding British Thermal Units (IT) to Ergs Conversion

The British Thermal Unit (IT) is an energy unit of 1055.056 joules, standard in heating and cooling engineering. The erg is the energy unit of the CGS (centimetre-gram-second) system, equal to 10−710⁻⁷ joules — the work done by a force of one dyne over one centimetre. Converting BTU to ergs links customary thermal engineering figures with the CGS units still encountered in physics, astronomy, and older scientific literature.

Conversion Formula

1 BTU=1.055056×1010 erg1\ \text{BTU} = 1.055056 \times 10¹⁰\ \text{erg}

To convert British Thermal Units (IT) to Ergs, multiply by this factor:

erg=BTU×10550560000\text{erg} = \text{BTU} \times 10550560000

Step-by-Step Example

Convert 25 British Thermal Units (IT) to Ergs.

erg=25×10550560000=2.63764×1011 erg\text{erg} = 25 \times 10550560000 = 2.63764 \times 10¹¹\ \text{erg}

How to Convert British Thermal Units (IT) to Ergs

Convert a BTU energy value into CGS ergs with a single factor.

  1. Take the BTU value: Start from the energy in British Thermal Units (IT).
  2. Multiply by 10,550,560,000: This is the number of ergs in one BTU.
  3. Compute the example: For 25 BTU, calculate 25×1055056000025 \times 10550560000.
  4. Report the result: The answer is about 2.63764×10112.63764 \times 10¹¹ ergs.

British Thermal Units (IT) to Ergs conversion table

British Thermal Units (IT) (BTU)Ergs (erg)
00
110550560000
221101120000
331651680000
442202230000
552752790000
663303350000
773853910000
884404470000
994955030000
10105505600000
15158258400000
20211011200000
25263764000000
30316516800000
40422022300000
50527527900000
60633033500000
70738539100000
80844044700000
90949550300000
1001055056000000
1501582584000000
2002110112000000
2502637640000000
3003165168000000
4004220223000000
5005275279000000
6006330335000000
7007385391000000
8008440447000000
9009495503000000
100010550560000000
200021101120000000
300031651680000000
400042202230000000
500052752790000000
10000105505600000000
25000263764000000000
50000527527900000000
1000001055056000000000
2500002637640000000000
5000005275279000000000
100000010550560000000000

What is the British Thermal Unit (IT)?

The British thermal unit (IT) is a unit of energy in the imperial and US customary systems, defined as roughly the heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. It is widely used in heating, cooling, and the power industries.

Definition

The "IT" (International Steam Table) British thermal unit is defined exactly in terms of the SI joule.

1 BTU=1055.06 J1\ \text{BTU} = 1055.06\ \text{J}

The exact value is 1 BTU (IT) = 1055.05585262 J. This IT definition is fixed by convention (derived from 1 BTU_IT = 1055.05585262 J, i.e. based on the International Steam Table calorie of 4.1868 J). It differs slightly from the thermochemical BTU (1054.35 J) and the mean BTU, because the amount of heat to warm water depends on the starting temperature.

Origin and History

The BTU arose in the 19th century alongside the calorie as engineers sought a practical unit tied to water and everyday temperature scales. Multiple definitions emerged (39 °F, 60 °F, mean, thermochemical), and the International Steam Table conference of 1956 fixed the IT calorie, and hence the IT BTU, to a precise joule value.

Law and Notable Facts

In the United States, air conditioners and furnaces are rated in BTU per hour, and natural gas is sold in therms (1 therm = 100,000 BTU). One "ton" of cooling equals 12,000 BTU/h, historically the heat absorbed by melting one short ton of ice in 24 hours.

Real-World Examples and Conversions

  • 1 BTU ≈ 1055 J ≈ 0.293071 watt-hour; a 5000 BTU/h window air conditioner draws about 1465 W of cooling.
  • 1 BTU is roughly the energy released by burning one wooden match.
  • 1 kWh = 3412.14 BTU, and 1 therm = 105.506 MJ.

What is the Erg?

The erg is a unit of energy in the centimetre-gram-second (CGS) system, historically common in physics, astronomy, and mechanics before the SI joule became standard.

Definition

One erg is the work done by a force of one dyne acting over a distance of one centimetre:

1 erg=1.00000×10−7 J1\ \text{erg} = 1.00000 \times 10⁻⁷\ \text{J}

This equals exactly one ten-millionth of a joule (10⁻⁷ J), or equivalently 1 g·cm²/s². The erg is a small unit, reflecting the small base units of the CGS system.

Origin and History

The name comes from the Greek ergon, meaning "work." The unit was formally adopted by the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1873 as part of the CGS system and remained the dominant energy unit in physics literature well into the 20th century.

Law and Notable Facts

The erg has been largely superseded by the joule and is deprecated in the modern SI framework, but it persists in astrophysics, where luminosities and energies are still frequently quoted in ergs and erg per second.

Real-World Examples and Conversions

  • 1 joule equals 10 million ergs.
  • A mosquito in flight expends energy on the order of a few ergs per wingbeat.
  • The Sun radiates about 3.8 × 10³³ ergs every second, equivalent to 3.8 × 10²⁶ watts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many ergs are in one BTU?

One British Thermal Unit (IT) equals 1.055056×10101.055056 \times 10¹⁰ ergs, or 10,550,560,000 ergs. The erg is a very small CGS energy unit of 10−710⁻⁷ joules.

How do I convert BTU to ergs?

Multiply the BTU value by 10,550,560,000. For example, 4 BTU equal about 4.22022×10104.22022 \times 10¹⁰ ergs.

How many BTU is one erg?

One erg equals about 9.478171×10−119.478171 \times 10⁻¹¹ BTU, an extremely small fraction.

Where are ergs still used?

The erg persists in astrophysics and some physics literature, so converting from BTU helps relate engineering heat values to CGS-based scientific data.

How does the erg relate to the joule?

One erg is exactly 10−710⁻⁷ joules, so ten million ergs make one joule; this makes the erg convenient for very small energies.

People also convert

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Complete British Thermal Units (IT) conversion table

BTU
UnitResult
Watt-seconds (Ws)1055.056 Ws
Watt-minutes (Wm)17.58426 Wm
Watt-hours (Wh)0.2930711 Wh
Milliwatt-hours (mWh)293.0711 mWh
Kilowatt-hours (kWh)0.0002930711 kWh
Megawatt-hours (MWh)2.930711e-7 MWh
Gigawatt-hours (GWh)2.930711e-10 GWh
Joules (J)1055.056 J
Kilojoules (kJ)1.055056 kJ
Megajoules (MJ)0.001055056 MJ
Gigajoules (GJ)0.000001055056 GJ
US Therms (thm)0.00001000239 thm
Electronvolts (eV)6.585141e+21 eV
Ergs (erg)10550560000 erg
Foot-pounds (ft-lbf)778.1693 ft-lbf
Tonnes of TNT (t-tnt)2.521644e-7 t-tnt
calories (cal)252.1644 cal
Kilocalories (kcal)0.2521644 kcal

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