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kilogram-meter

kilogram-meter

7.3
Work done when lifting a one kilogram mass one meter
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : kilogramo-metro
  • One kilogram-meter represents the work done by lifting a mass of one kilogram through one meter.

Examples

  • A force of one kilogram acts over a distance of one meter, resulting in one kilogram-meter of work.

  • The total work required was calculated to be 500 kilogram-meters.

  • Early physicists often expressed energy measurements in kilogram-meters rather than joules.

  • The machine performed 50 kilogram-meters of work yesterday.

  • One kilogram-meter represents the work done by lifting a mass of one kilogram through one meter.

  • A force of one kilogram acts over a distance of one meter, resulting in one kilogram-meter of work.

  • The total work required was calculated to be 500 kilogram-meters.

Surface Forms

Morphology

kilogram-meter = kilogram + meter (semi-transparent) = kilo + gram + meter

The compound is built from familiar measurement words, but its specialized physics meaning as a unit of work is not fully predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Kilogram-meter breaks into familiar parts: kilo- meaning 'thousand', as in kilometer, gram meaning 'a small weight', and meter meaning 'a measure of length'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of the work done when you move a one-kilo weight one meter, so a kilogram-meter is a simple unit for that amount of work.