How many kilocalories (kcal) are equivalent to 10 calories?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
To convert calories (cal) to kilocalories (kcal), remember that 1 kilocalorie (kcal) equals 1,000 calories (cal). So, to convert 10 calories to kilocalories:
[
10 \, \text{cal} = \frac{10 \, \text{cal}}{1,000} = 0.01 \, \text{kcal}
]
Therefore, 10 calories (cal) is equivalent to 0.01 kilocalories (kcal).
Explanation:
The term “calories” in everyday language often refers to kilocalories, especially in nutrition and food science. In physics, however, a calorie is a smaller unit, used to measure the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C at standard pressure.
Since the calorie is a relatively small unit, kilocalories are more commonly used when discussing food energy. For example, when a food label states “200 calories,” it actually means 200 kilocalories (kcal), or 200,000 calories (cal). This can be confusing because the terms are used interchangeably, but in science, the distinction is important.
The relationship between calories and kilocalories is based on metric prefixes, where “kilo-” signifies 1,000. So, 1 kcal = 1,000 cal. To convert a given number of calories to kilocalories, divide by 1,000.
This unit of energy is used because it gives a convenient scale for measuring the energy content of food. Since food energy can vary widely, the kilocalorie allows for practical measurements when discussing human dietary needs. For instance, a person’s daily energy requirement is typically between 1,500 and 2,500 kilocalories, a more manageable range to work with than in calories alone.
In summary, when converting from calories to kilocalories, you divide by 1,000. So, 10 calories is 0.01 kilocalories.