Foot Pounds
Torque is measured as a unit of length times a unit of force, so the SI unit is Newton-meters (Newton times meters). Imperial units would probably be something like foot-pound. Note that this is unrelated to energy units, also measured in Newton-meters. The unit "joule" as an equivalent for Newton-meters is only used for energy units, not for torque units.
They are completely unrelated. Don't get confused by the fact that the units look similar. Work units may be force (N) times distance (m); so a Nm is a work unit. Torque units may be distance (m) times force (N); so mN is a torque unit. Look similar, but they describe different things.
i was taught foot/lbs
I've seen it both ways
The way I understand it, torque is unrelated to energy, despite the fact that torque and energy happen to have the same dimensions, namely force x distance (in units: newton x meters). In other words, torque is not an energy; it is a different kind of measurement.
Torque is basically the equivalent of a force, for rotational movement. It always involves a force, but torque also depends on how far you push or pull, from the axis of rotation. A torque has units of force x distance (for example, in SI units, newton x meters). Thus, a force of 100 N at 1 meter from the axis of rotation (100 N-m) has the same effect (the same torque) as a force of 50 N at 2 meter (also 100 N-m).
Newton-Meters
orwhere P is the power in wattsτ is the torque in newton metresω is the angular velocity in radians per secondF is the force in newtonsv is the linear velocity in metres per secondDivision by a conversion constant may be required depending on the units of measure used.For imperial units,where Php is the power in horsepowerτlb·ft is the torque in pound-feetωRPM is the rotational velocity in revolutions per minuteFor metric units,where PkW is the power in kilowattsτN·m is the torque in newton metresωrpm is the rotational velocity in revolutions per minute
Lb/Ft or pound feet. Sometimes called FT/Lbs
Newton x meter is joules. (Please note that Nm is also used for torque; in this case, it happens to have the same units, but it is unrelated to energy, and can therefore not be converted to energy units.)
Torque= length x force. Lenght is the distance to an object. Force must be perpendicularly acting on the object. In your question, you did not specify neither force and length of the knob. So I cannot give you a torque value. I believe the SI unit for torque is "Nm", assuming that you calculated your torque using all SI units. Then you have to convert Nm to pounds.