ncal(nanocalorie)

A nanocalorie (ncal) is a unit of energy in the field of energy measurements. It is a submultiple of the calorie, which is a unit commonly used to quantify energy, particularly in the context of food, nutrition, and heat transfer. The prefix "nano" denotes that it is one-billionth (10⁻⁹) of a calorie. Therefore, one nanocalorie is equivalent to 0.000000001 (10⁻⁹) calories. In the International System of Units (SI), the energy is usually measured in joules; thus, 1 nanocalorie is approximately equal to 4.184 picojoules (pJ). Nanocalories are generally used when dealing with very small amounts of energies, such as in microscopic or nano-level energy exchanges.

dcal(decicalorie)

A decicalorie (dcal) is a unit of energy used to measure heat or thermal energy, particularly in the field of science and nutrition. It is derived from the basic unit of energy called a calorie. The term "calorie" originates from the Latin word "calor," which means heat.

A calorie is defined as the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. Since a decicalorie is one-tenth of a calorie, it represents the amount of energy necessary to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 0.1 degree Celsius.

In the context of nutrition, decicalories may sometimes be mentioned to express very small amounts of energy, such as in special diets or in the metabolism of various nutrients. However, the common unit of measure for energy in food is kilocalorie (kcal). 1 kilocalorie is equal to 1000 calories or 10,000 decicalories.