Talk:Units of energy

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please add electron-volt unit

[edit] Conversion of units

I was about to suggest an additional section with a matrix showing all the common units along the top and down the left hand side, with the relevant conversion factor in each of the cells, since I had already started such a chart in Template:Units of energy but unfortunately it has been deleted. Now I realise that all this information appears in Conversion of units#Energy, work, or heat. I'll add a link to that page for now, but still I wonder - would a conversion matrix of the common units be useful? LightYear 01:22, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Relationship to Torque

The article claims that the similar units used for torque is "not a simple coincidence". I'd suggest that the explanation is in fact, an explanation of a coincidence - by applying a torque over 1 radian, by the definition of a radian, you happen to move through an arc equal in length to the distance from where the torque is being applied. Given that the torque is 1 newton metre, 1 radian will happen to cover the requisite distance to expend 1 newton-metre of work. Pretty coincidental I think! The important distinction is that in energy terms, the newton and the metre part of the unit are vectors in the same direction. In torque they are perpendicular (by convention only). The measurement is of something quite different. The fact that 1 radian will allow both units to be used in the same equation does not change the fact that the measurements are measuring a different phenomena, and the meaning of the "metre" part of the unit is quite different. I think this could be described better in the article. LightYear 04:51, 23 July 2007 (UTC)