ergOS

Ergos is most commonly encountered as a reference to the unit of energy known as the erg. An erg is a CGS (centimeter–gram–second) unit equal to 1×10^-7 joule. It is defined as the work done when a force of one dyne moves an object one centimeter in the direction of the force, equivalently one dyne-centimeter. The term derives from the Greek word ergon, meaning work.

In scientific usage, the erg was widely used in the era when CGS-Gaussian units were standard, particularly in physics and astronomy. Today the SI system has become dominant, and joules are the preferred unit of energy in most disciplines. Nevertheless, ergs remain relevant in some branches of theoretical and historical physics, as well as in disciplines that retain CGS-style conventions for convenience or tradition.

Conversions with the SI system are straightforward: 1 erg equals 1×10^-7 joule, so 1 joule equals 10^7 ergs. Since 1 erg also equals the energy transferred by a dyne acting through a centimeter, it serves as a convenient reference for small-scale energies in CGS contexts.

Regarding the term itself, English usage typically treats the plural of erg as er gs (ergs). The form ergos is not standard in physics English and may appear only in non-English contexts or as a transliteration in other languages. In most technical writing, ergs is the correct plural when referring to multiple units of energy.