I hope this site helps you with basic kelvin conversion. Kelvin conversion is really pretty simple, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need some practice or a little help from time to time. It can be confusing and difficult and I stumbled through it at first too. But once you break through and get the hang of it, you’ll never forget it and for all intents and purposes, you’ll never have to work with kelvin ever again if you don’t want to.
Below you will learn How To Convert Celsius To Kelvin
Table of Contents
Celsius Scale
Celsius, or centigrade, is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is one of the most commonly used temperature units. Celsius, also known as centigrade, is a scale to measure temperature. The unit of measurement is the degree Celsius (°C). It is one of the most commonly used temperature units in the world. The unit system is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701-1744), who developed a similar temperature scale.
From 1743 until 1954, 0°C was defined as the freezing point of water, and 100°C was defined as the boiling point of water, both at a pressure of one standard atmosphere, with mercury as the working material. Although these defining correlations are commonly taught in schools today, by international agreement the unit “degree Celsius” and the Celsius scale are currently defined by two different temperatures: absolute zero and the triple point of Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW; specially purified water). This definition also precisely relates the Celsius scale to the Kelvin scale, which defines the SI base unit of thermodynamic temperature and which uses the symbol K. Absolute zero, the lowest temperature possible (the temperature at which matter reaches minimum entropy), is defined as being precisely 0K and -273.15°C. The temperature of the triple point of water is defined as precisely 273.16K and 0.01°C.
TCelsius = TKelvin − 273.15
Besides expressing specific temperatures along its scale (e.g., “Gallium melts at 29.7646°C” and “The temperature outside is 23 degrees Celsius”), the degree Celsius is also suitable for expressing temperature intervals — differences between temperatures, or their uncertainties (e.g. “The output of the heat exchanger is hotter by 40 degrees Celsius” and “Our standard uncertainty is ±3°C”). Because of this dual usage, one must not rely upon the unit name or its symbol to denote that a quantity is a temperature interval; it must be clear through context or explicit statement that the quantity is an interval.
Kelvin Scale
The kelvin is a unit of measurement for temperature; the null point of the Kelvin scale is absolute zero, the lowest possible temperature. The kelvin is a unit of measurement for temperature. It is one of the seven base units in the International System of Units (SI) and is assigned the unit symbol K. The Kelvin scale is an absolute, thermodynamic temperature scale using absolute zero as its null point. In the classical description of thermodynamics, absolute zero is the temperature at which all thermal motion ceases.
The choice of absolute zero as null point for the Kelvin scale is logical. Different types of matter boil or freeze at different temperatures, but at 0K (absolute zero), all thermal motions of any matter are maximally suppressed. The Kelvin scale is used extensively in scientific work because a number of physical quantities, such as the volume of an ideal gas, are directly related to absolute temperature.
The Kelvin scale is named after Glasgow University engineer and physicist William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (1824-1907), who wrote of the need for an “absolute thermometric scale. ” Unlike the degree Fahrenheit and the degree Celsius, the kelvin is not referred to or typeset as a degree. The kelvin is the primary unit of measurement in the physical sciences, but it is often used in conjunction with the degree Celsius, which has the same magnitude. The kelvin is defined as the fraction 1/273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water (exactly 0.01°C, or 32.018°F). Subtracting 273.16K from the temperature of the triple point of water, 0.01°C, makes absolute zero (0K) equivalent to -273.15°C and -460°F.
Celsius to Kelvin conversion formula
Take your Celsius temperature and add 273.15.
K = °C + 273.15
Your answer will be in Kelvin.
Remember, the Kelvin temperature scale does not use the degree (°) symbol. The reason is because Kelvin is an absolute scale, based on absolute zero, while the zero on the Celsius scale is based on the properties of water.
Also, measurements given in Kelvin will always be larger numbers than in Celsius.
Celsius To Kelvin Formula Derivation
Let us observe the freezing point and the boiling point of water in both Celsius and Kelvin scales.
Celsius Scale | Kelvin Scale | |
---|---|---|
Freezing point | 0°C | 273.15 K |
Boiling point | 100°C | 373.15 K |
If we observe, each temperature in the Kelvin scale is exactly 273.15 more than the corresponding temperature in the Celsius scale. Thus, the temperature in Kelvin is obtained by adding 273.15 to the corresponding temperature in the Celsius scale. Thus, if T(°C) is the temperature in Celsius and T (K) is the temperature in Kelvin then the Celsius to Kelvin formula is,
T (K) = T (°C) + 273.15
For example, if you want to know what 20°C is in Kelvin:
K = 20 + 273.15 = 293.15 K
If you want to know what -25.7°C is in Kelvin:
K = -25.7 + 273.15, which may be rewritten as:
K = 273.15 – 25.7 = 247.45 K
Example
How many degrees Celsius is 500 K?
C = 500 – 273.15
500 K = 226.85 C
Let’s convert normal body temperature from Kelvin to Celsius. Human body temperature is 310.15 K. Put the value into the equation to solve for degrees Celsius:
C = K – 273.15
C = 310.15 – 273.15
Human body temperature = 37 C
Kelvin to Celsius conversion table
Kelvin (K) | Celsius (°C) |
---|---|
0 K | -273.15 °C |
10 K | -263.15 °C |
20 K | -253.15 °C |
30 K | -243.15 °C |
40 K | -233.15 °C |
50 K | -223.15 °C |
60 K | -213.15 °C |
70 K | -203.15 °C |
80 K | -193.15 °C |
90 K | -183.15 °C |
100 K | -173.15 °C |
110 K | -163.15 °C |
120 K | -153.15 °C |
130 K | -143.15 °C |
140 K | -133.15 °C |
150 K | -123.15 °C |
160 K | -113.15 °C |
170 K | -103.15 °C |
180 K | -93.15 °C |
190 K | -83.15 °C |
200 K | -73.15 °C |
210 K | -63.15 °C |
220 K | -53.15 °C |
230 K | -43.15 °C |
240 K | -33.15 °C |
250 K | -23.15 °C |
260 K | -13.15 °C |
270 K | -3.15 °C |
273.15 K | 0 °C |
300 K | 26.85 °C |
400 K | 126.85 °C |
500 K | 226.85 °C |
600 K | 326.85 °C |
700 K | 426.85 °C |
800 K | 526.85 °C |
900 K | 626.85 °C |
1000 K | 726.85 °C |
Conclusion
When you speak of temperature, you typically talk about degrees Celsius or degrees Fahrenheit. These are the official temperature scales used today in most countries of the world estimated at over 25% of the global population uses the Celsius scale. The temperatures on this scale are based on standards determined by two points, one of which is assigned to be the freezing point of water and the other is assigned to be 100 degrees.