The erg is a unit of energy equal to 10⁻⁷

joule The joule ( , ; symbol: J) is the unit of energy in the International System of Units (SI). It is equal to the amount of work done when a force of 1 newton displaces a mass through a distance of 1 metre in the direction of the force applied ...

s (100 nJ). It originated in the Centimetre–gram–second system of units (CGS). It has the symbol ''erg''. The erg is not an SI unit. Its name is derived from (), a Greek word meaning 'work' or 'task'. An erg is the amount of work done by a force of one dyne exerted for a distance of one centimetre. In the CGS

base units A base unit (also referred to as a fundamental unit) is a unit adopted for measurement of a ''base quantity''. A base quantity is one of a conventionally chosen subset of physical quantities, where no quantity in the subset can be expressed in term ...

, it is equal to one gram centimetre-squared per

second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...

-squared (g⋅cm²/s²). It is thus equal to 10⁻⁷

s or 100 nanojoules ( nJ) in SI units. * 1 erg = = * 1 erg = = = * 1 erg = = * 1 erg = = * 1 erg =

History

In 1864,

Rudolf Clausius Rudolf Julius Emanuel Clausius (; 2 January 1822 – 24 August 1888) was a German physicist and mathematician and is considered one of the central founding fathers of the science of thermodynamics. By his restatement of Sadi Carnot's principle ...

proposed the Greek word () for the unit of energy, work and heat. In 1873, a committee of the

British Association for the Advancement of Science The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...

, including British physicists

James Clerk Maxwell James Clerk Maxwell (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and scientist responsible for the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, which was the first theory to describe electricity, magnetism and ligh ...

and William Thomson recommended the general adoption of the centimetre, the gramme, and the second as fundamental units ( C.G.S. System of Units). To distinguish derived units, they recommended using the prefix "C.G.S. unit of ..." and requested that the word ''erg'' or ''ergon'' be strictly limited to refer to the ''C.G.S. unit of energy''. In 1922, chemist William Draper Harkins proposed the name micri-erg as a convenient unit to measure the

surface energy In surface science, surface free energy (also interfacial free energy or surface energy) quantifies the disruption of intermolecular bonds that occurs when a surface is created. In solid-state physics, surfaces must be intrinsically less energe ...

molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioch ...

s in surface chemistry. It would equate to 10⁻¹⁴ erg, the equivalent to 10⁻²¹ joule. The erg has not been a valid unit since 1 January 1978 when the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...

ratified a directive of 1971 that implemented the International System (SI) as agreed by the General Conference of Weights and Measures. It is still widely used in

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...

and sometimes in

mechanics Mechanics (from Ancient Greek: μηχανική, ''mēkhanikḗ'', "of machines") is the area of mathematics and physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among physical objects. Forces applied to objects r ...

References

{{CGS units Units of energy Centimetre–gram–second system of units

History

See also

References