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It was once thought that energy was a weightless fluid or gas that could be transfered from one container to another. It was thought to pass in and out of pores in solids and liquids. Heat was thought consists of a self-repellent fluid called caloricthat flows from hotter bodies to colder bodies. Work - having no physical presence - was not recognized as being equivalent to this "caloric". Even with the limitations of this theory, a great deal of progress was made in thermodynamics while it was still in use because it assumed conservation of caloric - which is close to the 1st law of thermodynamics which states that energy is conserved. As long as no work is performed, the thermodynamics assuming caloric function suprisingly well. Carnot even managed to develop his famous Carnot cycle using caloric theory.

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10y ago
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4d ago

The hypothetical fluid called 'caloric' was a concept in the 18th century that was thought to be a substance responsible for heat transfer. The unit called the calorie shares a root word with 'caloric' because both terms refer to heat energy or heat transfer.

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Q: What was the hypothetical fluid called 'caloric' that the unit called the calorie shares a root word with?
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