Kelvin

The kelvin scale is a temperature scale named after the Irish mathematician and physicist William Thomson baron of Kelvin (1701 – 1744). The calibration points are the absolute zero (0 K) and the freezing point of water (273.15 K).

The unit kelvin (K) is defined by fixing Boltzmann's constant k_B to be 1.380,649×10^-23 J/K (= kg·m²·s^-2·K^-1), where second, meter and kilogram are defined in terms of atomic clock, speed of light and Planck's constant.

The kelvin scale is also referred to as absolute temperature.

Related units

• base units
• celsius