The kelvin is a temperature scale created by William Thomson, with a starting point of 0K or absolute zero. It is not measured in degrees and is used interchangeably with Celsius. The triple point of water is 273.16K and the boiling point of water is 373.1339K.
The kelvin, (written with a lowercase K) is a measure of heat energy or temperature, progressing in the same increments, as Celsius does. Its main difference is that Kelvin measurements, written as K, have a much lower starting point: 0K or 0 Kelvin (note the absence of the ° degree symbol). This temperature, measured as -273.15°C, is the point at which there is no heat energy in a substance and is called absolute zero. To determine temperature in kelvins from a Celsius temperature, simply add 273.15 to the Celsius number.
The engineer, physicist and mathematician William Thomson developed the concept of the kelvin in the 19th century. He was later called Baron Kelvin, after the River Kelvin near the University of Glasgow where he had developed the temperature scale. His desire in creating this measurement was to provide an easy way to measure absolute values, especially absolute zero in a simpler way than expressed with the Celsius scale.
It bears further mention that kelvins are not measured in degrees. They were considered as such until 1968, when the XIII General Conference of Weights and Measures decided to abandon the degree reference. This decision was made because Thomson’s measurement referred to an absolute and specific temperature (where there is no thermal energy). Celsius, by contrast, uses the water freezing reference point at the bottom of its scale, and this does not accurately account for the heat energy left in the water at this point (13 K). Instead, these units of temperature are thought of as kelvins. When you measure something in degrees Celsius, such as the boiling point of water, you are measuring in degrees (about 273.15°C). The boiling point of water on the Thomson scale is approximately 100 kelvins or written as 373 K.
There are some important marking points for the Thomson scale. Absolute zero is 0 K and the triple point of water, where water can exist as a gas, liquid, and solid is 273.16 K (01° C or 32.018° F). The melting point of ice, 0°C or 32°F, is 273.15K. The boiling point of water, about 100°C or 212°F, is exactly 373.1339K.
The scientific community often uses Kelvin and Celsius measurements interchangeably or simultaneously. You can view temperature data given either a degree C measurement or a Kelvin measurement. This is especially true when talking about units of heat energy between the melting point of ice and absolute zero.
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