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Range of Energies

Factor (Joules)SI prefixValueItem
10−33 2×10−33 Javerage kinetic energy of translational motion of a molecule at the lowest temperature reached, 100 picokelvins as of 2003[1]
10−28 6.6×10−28 Jenergy of a typical AM radio photon (1 MHz) (4×10−9 eV)[2]
10−24yocto- (yJ)1.6×10−24 Jenergy of a typical microwave oven photon (2.45 GHz) (1×10−5 eV)[3][4]
10−23 2×10−23 Javerage kinetic energy of translational motion of a molecule in the Boomerang Nebula, the coldest place known outside of a laboratory, at a temperature of 1 kelvin[5][6]
10−22 2-3000×10−22 Jenergy of infrared light photons[7]
10−21zepto- (zJ)1.7×10−21 J1 kJ/mol, converted to energy per molecule[8]
2.1×10−21 Jthermal energy in each degree of freedom of a molecule at 25 °C (kT/2) (0.01 eV)[9]
2.856×10−21 JBy Landauer’s principle, the minimum amount of energy required at 25 °C to change one bit of information.
3–7×10−21 Jenergy of a van der Waals interaction between atoms (0.02–0.04 eV)[10][11]
4.1×10−21 JkT” at 25 °C, a common rough approximation for the total thermal energy of each molecule in a system (0.03 eV)[12]
7–22×10−21 Jenergy of a hydrogen bond (0.04 to 0.13 eV)[10][13]
10−20 4.5×10−20 Jupper bound of the mass-energy of a neutrino in particle physics (0.28 eV)[14][15]
10−19 1.6×10−19 J≈1 electronvolt (eV)[16]
3–5×10−19 Jenergy range of photons in visible light[17][18]
3–14×10−19 Jenergy of a covalent bond (2–9 eV)[10][19]
5–200×10−19 Jenergy of ultraviolet light photons[7]
10−18atto- (aJ)  
10−17 2-2000×10−17 Jenergy range of X-ray photons[7]
10−16   
10−15femto- (fJ)  
10−14 > 2×10−14 Jenergy of gamma ray photons[7]
2.7×10−14 Jupper bound of the mass-energy of a muon neutrino[20][21]
8.2×10−14 Jrest mass-energy of an electron[22]
10−13 1.6×10−13 J1 megaelectronvolt (MeV)[23]
10−12pico- (pJ)2.3×10−12 Jkinetic energy of neutrons produced by D-T fusion, used to trigger fission (14.1 MeV)[24][25]
10−11 3.4×10−11 Javerage total energy released in the nuclear fission of one uranium-235 atom (215 MeV)[26][27]
10−10 1.5030×10−10 Jrest mass-energy of a proton[28]
1.505×10−10 Jrest mass-energy of a neutron[29]
1.6×10−10 J1 gigaelectronvolt (GeV)[30]
3.0×10−10 Jrest mass-energy of a deuteron[31]
6.0×10−10 Jrest mass-energy of an alpha particle[32]
10−9nano- (nJ)1.6×10−9 J10 GeV[33]
8×10−9 Jinitial operating energy per beam of the CERN Large Electron Positron Collider in 1989 (50 GeV)[34][35]
10−8 1.3×10−8 Jmass-energy of a W boson (80.4 GeV)[36][37]
1.5×10−8 Jmass-energy of a Z boson (91.2 GeV)[38][39]
1.6×10−8 J100 GeV[40]
2×10−8 Jmass-energy of the particle believed to be the Higgs Boson (125.3 GeV)[41]
6.4×10−8 Joperating energy per proton of the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron accelerator in 1976[42][43]
10−7 1×10−7 J≡ 1 erg[44]
1.6×10−7 J1 TeV (teraelectronvolt),[45] about the kinetic energy of a flying mosquito[46]
5.6×10−7 Jenergy per proton in the CERN Large Hadron Collider in 2011 (3.5 TeV)[47][48]
10−6micro- (µJ)  
10−5   
10−4   
10−3milli- (mJ)  
10−2centi- (cJ)  
10−1deci- (dJ)1.1×10−1 Jenergy of an American half-dollar falling 1-metre[49][50]
100J1 J≡ 1 N·m (newtonmetre)
1 J≡ 1 W·s (watt-second)
1 Jkinetic energy produced as an extra small apple (~100 grams[51]) falls 1 meter against Earth’s gravity[52]
1 Jenergy required to heat 1 gram of dry, cool air by 1-degree Celsius[53]
1.4 J≈ 1 ft·lbf (foot-pound force)[44]
4.184 J≡ 1 thermochemical calorie (small calorie)[44]
4.1868 J≡ 1 International (Steam) Table calorie[54]
8 JGreisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin theoretical upper limit for the energy of a cosmic ray coming from a distant source[55][56]
101deca- (daJ)5×101 Jmost energetic cosmic ray ever detected, in 1991[57]
102hecto- (hJ)1×102 Jflash energy of a typical pocket camera electronic flash capacitor (100–400 µF @ 330 V)[58][59]
3×102 Jenergy of a lethal dose of X-rays[60]
3×102 Jkinetic energy of an average person jumping as high as they can[61][62][63]
3.3×102 Jenergy to melt 1 g of ice[64]
> 3.6×102 Jkinetic energy of 800 g[65] standard men’s javelin thrown at > 30 m/s[66] by elite javelin throwers[67]
5–20×102 Jenergy output of a typical photography studio strobe light in a single flash[68]
6.0×102 Jkinetic energy of 2 kg[69] standard men’s discus thrown at 24.4 m/s[citation needed] by the world record holder Jürgen Schult[70]
6×102 Juse of a 10-watt flashlight for 1-minute
7.5×102 Ja power of 1 horsepower applied for 1 second[44]
7.8×102 Jkinetic energy of 7.26 kg[71] standard men’s shot thrown at 14.7 m/s[citation needed] by the world record holder Randy Barnes[72]
103kilo- (kJ)1.1×103 J≈ 1 British thermal unit (BTU), depending on the temperature[44]
1.4×103 Jtotal solar radiation received from the Sun by 1 square meter at the altitude of Earth’s orbit per second (solar constant)[73]
1.8×103 Jkinetic energy of M16 rifle bullet (5.56x45mm NATO M855, 4.1 g fired at 930 m/s)[74]
2.3×103 Jenergy to vaporize 1 g of water into steam[75]
3×103 JLorentz force can crusher pinch[76]
3.4×103 Jkinetic energy of world-record men’s hammer throw (7.26 kg[77] thrown at 30.7 m/s[78] in 1986)[79]
3.6×103 J≡ 1 W·h (watt-hour)[44]
4.2×103 Jenergy released by explosion of 1 gram of TNT[44][80]
4.2×103 J≈ 1 food Calorie (large calorie)
~7×103 Jmuzzle energy of an elephant gun, e.g. firing a .458 Winchester Magnum[81]
9×103 Jenergy in an alkaline AA battery[82]
104 1.7×104 Jenergy released by the metabolism of 1 gram of carbohydrates[83] or protein[84]
3.8×104 Jenergy released by the metabolism of 1 gram of fat[85]
4–5×104 Jenergy released by the combustion of 1 gram of gasoline[86]
5×104 Jkinetic energy of 1 gram of matter moving at 10 km/s[87]
105 3×105 J—15×105 Jkinetic energy of an automobile at highway speeds (1 to 5 tons[88] at 89 km/h or 55 mph)[89]
5×105 Jkinetic energy of 1 gram of a meteor hitting Earth[90]
106mega- (MJ)1×106 Jkinetic energy of a 2 tonne[88] vehicle at 32 metres per second (72 miles per hour)[91]
1.2×106 Japproximate food energy of a snack such as a Snickers bar (280 food calories)[92]
3.6×106 J= 1 kW·h (kilowatt-hour) (used for electricity)[44]
8.4×106 Jrecommended food energy intake per day for a moderately active woman (2000 food calories)[93][94]
107 1×107 Jkinetic energy of the armor-piercing round fired by the assault guns of the ISU-152 tank[95][citation needed]
1.1×107 Jrecommended food energy intake per day for a moderately active man (2600 food calories)[93][96]
3.7×107 J$1 of electricity at a cost of $0.10/kWh (the US average retail cost in 2009)[97][98][99]
4×107 Jenergy from the combustion of 1 cubic meter of natural gas[100]
4.2×107 Jcaloric energy consumed by Olympian Michael Phelps on a daily basis during Olympic training[101]
6.3×107 Jtheoretical minimum energy required to accelerate 1 kg of matter to escape velocity from Earth’s surface (ignoring atmosphere)[102]
108 1×108 Jkinetic energy of a 55 tonne aircraft at typical landing speed (59 m/s or 115 knots)[citation needed]
1.1×108 J≈ 1 therm, depending on the temperature[44]
1.1×108 J≈ 1 Tour de France, or ~90 hours[103] ridden at 5 W/kg[104] by a 65 kg rider[105]
1.3×108 J≈ The energy used by the fictional DeLorean in the “Back to the Future” movie series, traveling at 88 mph expending 1.21 GW of power as it passes from bumper to bumper through a planar singularity.
7.3×108 J≈ energy from burning 16 kilograms of oil (using 135 kg per barrel of light crude)[citation needed]
109giga- (GJ)1 .. 10×109 Jenergy in an average lightning bolt[106] (thunder)
1.1×109 Jmagnetic stored energy in the world’s largest toroidal superconducting magnet for the ATLAS experiment at CERN, Geneva[107]
1.4×109 Jtheoretical minimum amount of energy required to melt a tonne of steel (380 kW·h)[108][109]
2.0×109 JEnergy of an ordinary 61 liter gasoline tank of a car.[86][110][111]
2.0×109 JPlanck energy, the unit of energy in Planck units[112]
3.3×109 Japproximate average amount of energy expended by a human heart muscle over an 80-year lifetime[113][114]
4.5×109 Javerage annual energy usage of a standard refrigerator[115][116]
6.1×109 J≈ 1 bboe (barrel of oil equivalent)[117]
1010 2.3×1010 Jkinetic energy of an Airbus A380 at cruising speed (560 tonnes at 562 knots or 289 m/s)[citation needed]
4.2×1010 J≈ 1 toe (ton of oil equivalent)[117]
5×1010 Jyield energy of a Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, the second most powerful non-nuclear weapon ever designed[118][119]
7.3×1010 Jenergy consumed by the average U.S. automobile in the year 2000[120][121][122]
8.6×1010 J≈ 1 MW·d (megawatt-day), used in the context of power plants[123]
8.8×1010 Jtotal energy released in the nuclear fission of one gram of uranium-235[26][27][124]
1011 
1012tera- (TJ)3.4×1012 Jmax fuel energy of an Airbus A330-300 (97,530 liters[125] of Jet A-1[126])[127]
3.6×1012 J1 GW·h (gigawatt-hour)[128]
4×1012 Jelectricity generated by one 20-kg CANDU fuel bundle assuming ~29%[129] thermal efficiency of reactor[130][131]
6.4×1012 Jenergy contained in jet fuel in a Boeing 747-100B aircraft at max fuel capacity (183,380 liters[132] of Jet A-1[126])[133]
1013 1.1×1013 Jenergy of the maximum fuel an Airbus A380 can carry (320,000 liters[134] of Jet A-1[126])[135]
1.2×1013 Jorbital kinetic energy of the International Space Station (417 tonnes[136] at 7.7 km/s[137])[138]
8.8×1013 Jyield of the Fat Man atomic bomb used in World War II (21 kilotons)[139][140]
9.0×1013 Jtheoretical total mass-energy of 1 gram of matter[141]
1014 6×1014 Jenergy released by an average hurricane in 1 second[142]
1015peta- (PJ)> 1015 Jenergy released by a severe thunderstorm[143]
1.0×1015 Jyearly electricity consumption in Greenland as of 2008[144][145]
4.2×1015 Jenergy released by explosion of 1 megaton of TNT[44][146]
1016 1×1016 Jestimated impact energy released in forming Meteor Crater[citation needed]
1.1×1016 Jyearly electricity consumption in Mongolia as of 2010[144][147]
9.0×1016 Jmass-energy in 1 kilogram of antimatter (or matter)[148]
1017 1×1017 Jenergy released on the Earth’s surface by the magnitude 9.1–9.3 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake[149]
1.7×1017 Jtotal energy from the Sun that strikes the face of the Earth each second[150]
2.1×1017 Jyield of the Tsar Bomba, the largest nuclear weapon ever tested (50 megatons)[151][152]
4.2×1017 Jyearly electricity consumption of Norway as of 2008[144][153]
8×1017 Jestimated energy released by the eruption of the Indonesian volcano, Krakatoa, in 1883[154][155]
1018exa- (EJ)1.4×1018 Jyearly electricity consumption of South Korea as of 2009[144][156]
1019 1.4×1019 Jyearly electricity consumption in the U.S. as of 2009[144][157]
1.4×1019Jyearly electricity production in the U.S. as of 2009[158][159]
5×1019 Jenergy released in 1-day by an average hurricane in producing rain (400 times greater than the wind energy)[142]
6.4×1019 Jyearly electricity consumption of the world as of 2008[160][161]
6.8×1019 Jyearly electricity generation of the world as of 2008[160][162]
1020 5.0×1020 Jtotal world annual energy consumption in 2010[163][164]
8.0×1020 Jestimated global uranium resources for generating electricity 2005[165][166][167][168]
1021zetta- (ZJ)6.9×1021 Jestimated energy contained in the world’s natural gas reserves as of 2010[163][169]
7.9×1021 Jestimated energy contained in the world’s petroleum reserves as of 2010[163][170]
1022 1.5×1022Jtotal energy from the Sun that strikes the face of the Earth each day[150][171]
2.4×1022 Jestimated energy contained in the world’s coal reserves as of 2010[163][172]
2.9×1022 Jidentified global uranium-238 resources using fast reactor technology[165]
3.9×1022 Jestimated energy contained in the world’s fossil fuel reserves as of 2010[163][173]
4×1022 Jestimated total energy released by the magnitude 9.1–9.3 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake[174]
1023 1×1023 JAmount of energy added to climate by anthropogenic greenhouse gasses[citation needed]
2.2×1023 Jtotal global uranium-238 resources using fast reactor technology[165]
5×1023 Japproximate energy released in the formation of the Chicxulub Crater in the Yucatán Peninsula[175]
1024yotta- (YJ)5.5×1024 Jtotal energy from the Sun that strikes the face of the Earth each year[150][176]
1025   
1026 1.3×1026 Jconservative estimate of the energy released by the impact that created the Caloris basin on Mercury[citation needed]
3.8×1026 Jtotal energy output of the Sun each second[177]
1027   
1028 3.8×1028 Jkinetic energy of the Moon in its orbit around the Earth (counting only its velocity relative to the Earth)[178][179]
1029 2.1×1029 Jrotational energy of the Earth[180][181][182]
1030 1.8×1030 Jgravitational binding energy of Mercury
1031 3.3×1031 Jtotal energy output of the Sun each day[177][183]
1032 2×1032 Jgravitational binding energy of the Earth[184]
1033 2.7×1033 JEarth’s kinetic energy in its orbit[185]
1034 1.2×1034 Jtotal energy output of the Sun each year[177][186]
1039 6.6×1039 Jtheoretical total mass-energy of the Moon
1041 5.4×1041 Jtheoretical total mass-energy of the Earth[187][188]
6.9×1041 Jgravitational binding energy of the Sun[189]
1043 5×1043 Jtotal energy of all gamma rays in a typical gamma-ray burst[190][191]
1044 1–2×1044 Jestimated energy released in a supernova,[192] sometimes referred to as a foe
1046 1×1046 Jestimated energy released in a hypernova[193]
1047 1.8×1047 Jtheoretical total mass-energy of the Sun[194][195]
1047 8.8×1047 JGRB 080916C – the most powerful Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) ever recorded – total isotropic energy output estimated at 8.8 × 1047 joules (8.8 × 1054 erg), or 4.9 times the sun’s mass turned to energy.[196]
1058 4×1058 Jvisible mass-energy in our galaxy, the Milky Way[197][198]
1059 1×1059 Jtotal mass-energy of our galaxy, the Milky Way, including dark matter and dark energy[199][200]
1062 1–2×1062 Jtotal mass-energy of the Virgo Supercluster including dark matter, the Supercluster which contains the Milky Way [201]
1069 4×1069 Jestimated total mass-energy of the observable universe[202]