The volume- and time-dependent stochastic quantity the energy imparted (.epsilon.) defined by the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements, can be represented alternatively as the sum of volume- and time-independent contributions .DELTA..epsilon. from individual basic processes. In an interaction by an ionizing particle, .DELTA..epsilon. equals that part of the radiation energy which is converted into energy forms other than the kinetic energy of ionizing particles and rest-mass energy of nuclei and elementary particles. In a spontaneous process such as a nuclear decay, .DELTA..epsilon. is equal to that part of the released rest-mass energy which is not converted into the kinetic energy of ionizing particles. The nonstochastic quantity the absorbed dose (D) is the mean energy imparted per unit mass of a medium. It is a volume-independent quantity and the values of .DELTA..epsilon. for individual processes are the quantities of real significance in calculations of the absorbed dose in situations where radiation equilibrium has not been established, e.g., in small Bragg-Gray cavities. More information about the values of .DELTA..epsilon. for individual processes and the spectral distributions of ionizing particles is needed for the accurate treatment of cavity and interface dosimetry theories.