The joule (J) is the SI base unit of energy, defined as the work done when a force of one newton moves an object one meter. It is the universal unit in physics for measuring kinetic energy, heat, and electrical energy, appearing in everything from textbook problems to nutritional science. One joule equals the energy released by dropping a small apple one meter, making it tangible despite its small magnitude.

The watt-hour (Wh) equals 3,600 joules, representing the energy consumed by a one-watt device operating for one hour. It is commonly used for small battery capacities, solar panel output ratings, and electric vehicle charging metrics where kilowatt-hours would be too large a unit. One watt-hour equals exactly 0.001 kilowatt-hours or about 3.412 BTU.