kilorads

Kilorad is a unit of absorbed radiation dose. It is equal to one thousand rads. The rad is a unit of absorbed dose, measuring the amount of ionizing radiation deposited in a unit of mass of material. One rad is defined as the absorption of 0.01 joules of energy per kilogram of absorbing material. Therefore, one kilorad is equivalent to the absorption of 10 joules of energy per kilogram.

The kilorad was historically used in various fields, including medicine, nuclear physics, and industrial applications where significant radiation doses were involved. However, the rad and kilorad have largely been superseded by the gray (Gy) and kilogray (kGy) in the International System of Units (SI). One gray is equal to 100 rads, meaning one kilorad is equivalent to 10 gray.

While the kilorad is still occasionally encountered in older literature or specific contexts, the gray is the standard unit for absorbed dose in scientific and medical communities today. Understanding the relationship between kilorads and grays is important for comparing historical and current radiation dose measurements. The conversion factor is straightforward: 1 krad = 10 Gy.