In 1843, James Prescott Joule discovered the relationship between heat and mechanical work. He found that when he passed an electric current through a resistor, it generated heat. He also found that this process was reversible – if he applied heat to a conductor, it would generate an electric current. From these experiments, Joule deduced that there must be a relationship between heat and energy.

Joule’s discoveries led to the development of the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed – it can only be converted from one form to another. The SI unit of energy is named after Joule in recognition of his contributions to the field of thermodynamics.

Today, we use joules to quantify all sorts of energy conversions – from the chemical reactions that power our bodies to nuclear reactions that generate electricity. Every time we flip on a light switch or start our cars, we’re using joules of energy!

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