Re: Stop using calories?

[herbgottlieb@juno.com]

 msantos@etse.urv.es writes:
> I think we should go on using 'calories' because,
> as many of you said, that's what students are
> familiar with in their daily life. I'm sure
> that only a non-significant part of them have never
> heard about 'Coca-cola light', if any. 
>
> Indeed, for me a better reason is that 'calorie' covers 
> perfectly the need to refer to 'the energy needed to raise
> the temp. of 1g ...'.
But students learn that the calorie is a unit of HEAT ENERGY.
Isn't is possible to raise the temperature of 1 g ......  by shaking 
the liquid or subjecting it to electromagnetic radiations?
Why use the term CALORIE at all  if it is just as easy to raise
the temperature of 1g ..... with 4 joules of energy ....any kind
of energy?

Herb Gottlieb from New York City
(Where all middle school and high school science students still 
have to learn about calories ....whether or not the term is outmoded)