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Kelvin

This article is about the unit of temperature. For the person, see Lord Kelvin. For other uses, see Kelvin (disambiguation).

kelvin
Equivalent temperatures in kelvin (K), Celsius (°C), and Fahrenheit (°F)
General information
Unit systemSI
Unit oftemperature
SymbolK
Named afterWilliam Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin
Conversions
x K in ...... corresponds to ...
   Celsius   (x − 273.15) °C
   Fahrenheit   (1.8 x − 459.67) °F
   Rankine   1.8 x °Ra

The kelvin, symbol K, is a unit of measurement for temperature.[1] The Kelvin scale is an absolute scale, which is defined such that 0 K is absolute zero and a change of thermodynamic temperature T by 1 kelvin corresponds to a change of thermal energy kT by 1.380649×10−23 J. The Boltzmann constant k = 1.380649×10−23 J⋅K−1 was exactly defined in the 2019 redefinition of the SI base units such that the triple point of water is 273.16±0.0001 K.[2] The kelvin is the base unit of temperature in the International System of Units (SI), used alongside its prefixed forms.[2][3][4] It is named after the Belfast-born and University of Glasgow-based engineer and physicist William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (1824–1907).[5]

Historically, the Kelvin scale was developed from the Celsius scale, such that 273.15 K was 0 °C (the approximate melting point of ice) and a change of one kelvin was exactly equal to a change of one degree Celsius.[1][5] This relationship remains accurate, but the Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Rankine scales are now defined in terms of the Kelvin scale.[2][6][7] The kelvin is the primary temperature unit in engineering and the physical sciences. Outside of these fields, the Celsius scale remains dominant, while the Fahrenheit scale is utilized in the United States.[5][6]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference MEP for kelvin 2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference SI Brochure 9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference BIPM web page for kelvin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference NIST SI redefinition was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference nist intro was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Busting Myths about the Metric System was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference NIST HB44 Appendix C was invoked but never defined (see the help page).