Gigajoules to Joules conversion

How to convert gigajoules to joules?

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Conversion from Gigajoules to Joules

1 Gigajoule (GJ) is equal to 1,000,000,000 Joules (J). The prefix "Giga-" means $10^9$ (or one billion), so:

$1 \text{ GJ} = 1 \times 10^9 \text{ J} = 1,000,000,000 \text{ J}$

Real-World Examples of Gigajoules

Here are some examples with different quantities of gigajoules:

1. Household Energy Use:

   • An average household in the United States uses about 30 gigajoules (GJ) of energy per year. To put that in perspective, that's: $30 \text{ GJ} = 30 \times 10^9 \text{ J} = 30,000,000,000 \text{ J}$

2. Natural Gas:

   • 1 gigajoule of natural gas is roughly equivalent to the energy content of 26 liters (or about 6.87 gallons) of gasoline.

3. Hydroelectric Power Plant:

   • In 2019, the Hoover Dam generated about 3,678 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity. Converting that into gigajoules: $3,678 \text{ GWh} \times 3,600 \text{ J/Wh} = 13,240,800 \text{ GJ}$

4. Food Energy:

   • A large pizza has about 10,000 dietary calories (or kilocalories). 1 dietary calorie is about 4,184 joules, so: $10,000 \text{ kcal} \times 4,184 \text{ J/kcal} = 41,840,000 \text{ J} = 0.04184 \text{ GJ}$ Thus, a large pizza provides about 0.04184 GJ of energy.

Summary

To convert gigajoules to joules, simply multiply the number of gigajoules by $10^9$. Real-world examples help illustrate the scale and practical applications of this unit of measurement, from household energy use to large-scale power generation and even food energy content.