Erg (unit)

Last revised by Daniel J Bell on 28 Nov 2020

The erg (symbol, erg, i.e. the same as the unit) is the unit of energy in the cgs system, where one erg represents the work done when a force of one dyne is acting over a distance of one cm and is equivalent to 1 x 10-7 joules.

The rad, a legacy unit of absorbed radiation dose, was defined as the absorption of 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material.

History and etymology

Erg is derived from the Greek word ἔργον (ergon) meaning work, from which we get English words such as ergonomic 1.

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