Enter the total energy (J) and the total mass (kg) into the calculator to determine the Specific Energy. 

Specific Energy Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Specific Energy. 

SE = E / m

Variables:

  • Where SE is the Specific Energy (J/kg)
  • E is the total energy (J) 
  • m is the total mass (kg) 

To calculate the specific energy, divide the total energy by the total mass.

How to Calculate Specific Energy?

The following two example problems outline the steps and information needed in order to calculate the Specific Energy.

Example Problem #1:

  1. First, determine the total energy (J). In this example, the total energy (J) is measured to be 6.
  2. Next, determine the total mass (kg). For this problem, the total mass (kg) is calculated to be 8.
  3. Finally, calculate the Specific Energy using the formula above: 

SE = E / m

Inserting the values from above and solving the equation with the imputed values gives: 

SE = 6 / 8 = .75 (J/kg)

Example Problem #2: 

Using the same process as example problem 1, we first define the needed variables outlined by the formula. In this case, the values are provide as: 

total energy (J) = 4

total mass (kg) = 3

Entering these values into the formula or calculator above gives us: SE = 4 / 3 = 1.33 (J/kg)