kelvin

kel·vin   (kěl'vĭn)    n.   Abbr. K A unit of absolute temperature equal to 1/273.16 of the absolute temperature of the triple point of water. One kelvin degree is equal to one Celsius degree. See Table at measurement. Kelvin A temperature scale in which zero occurs at absolute zero and each degree equals one kelvin. Water freezes at 273.15 K and boils at 373.15 K. [After First Baron Kelvin.]

Kelvin 

Main Entry: kel·vin
Pronunciation: 'kel-v&n
Function: noun
: the base unit of temperature in the International System of Units that is equal to1/273.16 of the Kelvin scale temperature of the triple point of water and also to the Celsius degree
Thomáson /'täm(p)-s&n,/ Sir William (1st Baron Kelvin ofLargs) (1824–1907), British physicist. One of the most influential scientists of the 19th century, Thomson made important contributions in almost every branch of the physical sciences.He was a prolific inventor. He created the first physics laboratory in Great Britain and was the first to teach physics in a lab. He developed the Kelvin scale in 1848. From 1848 on he didthermodynamic research, often in collaboration with James P. Joule. Between 1851–54 Thomson helped to formulate the first two laws of thermodynamics. During the next few years he laid thetheoretical foundations for submarine telegraphic transmission. He was the leading scientist involved in the laying of the transatlantic cable. He also made discoveries in electromagnetism andinvestigated wave motion and vortex motion.

kelvin kel·vin (kěl'vĭn)
n.
Abbr. K
A unit of temperature in the Kelvin scale equal to ¹/_273.16 of the absolute temperature of the triple point of pure water.

kelvin   (kěl'vĭn)  Pronunciation Key  The SI unit used to measure temperature, the basic unit of the Kelvin scale. A difference of one degree Kelvin corresponds to the same temperature difference as a difference of one degree Celsius. See Table at measurement. See also absolute zero.

kelvin

base unit of thermodynamic temperature measurement in the International System of Units (SI). It is defined as 10027,316 of the triple point (equilibrium among the solid, liquid, and gaseous phases) of pure water. The kelvin is also the fundamental unit of the Kelvin scale, an absolute temperature scale named for the British physicist William Thomson (known as Lord Kelvin). An absolute temperature scale has as its zero point absolute zero (273.15 on the Celsius temperature scale and 459.67 on the Fahrenheit temperature scale), the theoretical temperature at which the molecules of a substance have the lowest energy-hence, all values on such a scale are nonnegative. Many physical laws and formulas can be expressed more simply when an absolute temperature scale is used; accordingly, the Kelvin scale has been adopted as the international standard for scientific temperature measurement. The difference between the freezing and boiling points of water is 100 degrees in both the Kelvin and the Celsius scale; thus, the Kelvin degree has the same magnitude as the Celsius degree

Learn more about kelvin with a free trial on Britannica.com.