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Unit

Kelvin

SI Base Units

The kelvin is the base unit of thermodynamic temperature in the International System of Units. Zero kelvin, absolute zero, is the coldest temperature theoretically possible.

Facts
Classification
Quantity Measured
Thermodynamic Temperature 1
Unit System
International System of Units (SI) 1
Symbol
K 1
Connections

Measures Quantity

Thermodynamic Temperature, Concepts

Named After

William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, Scientists
Source William Thomson, Baron Kelvin (Britannica)

Used In

Absolute Temperature Scale, Concepts

The kelvin is the SI base unit of the absolute (thermodynamic) temperature scale, defined so that scale reads exactly zero at absolute zero.

Thermodynamics, Disciplines
Source Kelvin: Introduction (NIST)
Sources
1. Kelvin: Introduction (NIST)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
  • Lede, quantity measured
    The kelvin is the base unit of thermodynamic temperature in the International System of Units.
  • Lede, unit system
    The kelvin is the base unit of thermodynamic temperature in the International System of Units.
  • Used In: Thermodynamics
View the Source
William Thomson, Baron Kelvin (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaNamed After: William Thomson, Lord KelvinView the Source
Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM): The International System of Units (SI), 9th edition
Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM)In Group: Electrical, Thermal, Chemical and Optical Base Units, PDF page 131
Quote, In Group: Electrical, Thermal, Chemical and Optical Base Units, PDF page 131
The kelvin, symbol K, is the SI unit of thermodynamic temperature.
View the Source
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