Celsius to Kelvin Formula

Temperature is a very important physical quantity that represents the hotness or coldness of some matter. We usually represent temperatures in some quantity using some uniform scale. The same temperature has different readings on the three temperature scales, which are – Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin. In this article, a student will learn a lot about the Celsius temperature scale and also Celsius to kelvin formula for conversion. Let us begin learning!

Celsius to Kelvin Formula

What is the Celsius scale?

In physics, the Celsius scale is mostly in use in comparison to other temperature scales. This Celsius scale is divided into 100 equal parts, which are called degrees Celsius. It lies between the freezing point and boiling point of water.

The freezing point of water on this scale is 0 degrees Celsius i.e. 0°. The boiling point of water is 100 degrees Celsius i.e. 100°. This thermometer scale is sometimes also called the centigrade scale because there are 100 Celsius degrees between the two fixed points.

The Celsius temperature scale is a common System International (SI) temperature scale and the official scale is Kelvin. More precisely, the Celsius scale is defined by absolute zero and the triple point of pure water. This allows easy conversion between the Celsius and Kelvin temperature scales so that absolute zero is defined to be precisely 0 K and −273.15°.

The triple point of water is defined to be 273.16 K i.e. 0.01° C or 32.02°. The interval between one degree Celsius and one Kelvin are exactly the same. Also, note the degree is not used in the Kelvin scale because it is an absolute scale.

The Celsius scale is named as giving honor to Anders Celsius. He was a Swedish astronomer who devised this temperature scale. Before 1948, when the scale was re-named Celsius, it was known as the centigrade scale.

However, the terms Celsius and centigrade don’t mean precisely the same thing. A centigrade scale is having 100 steps, such as the degree units between freezing and boiling of water. The Celsius scale is thus an example of a centigrade scale. The Kelvin scale is another centigrade scale.

Celsius to kelvin conversion Temperature Conversions:

The freezing point of water is 32° F, 0° C, or 273 Kelvin. As it can be seen that 0° C is actually a much higher temperature than 0 K. But a change of 1° Kelvin is equal to a change of one Celsius degree.

In addition, 0° C is a higher temperature than 0°. But a change of one degree in Fahrenheit is not equal to a change of one Celsius degree. We can convert temperature from one scale to another using these simple equations.

From Celsius to Kelvin conversion

K = C + 273.15.

Where,

K	Temperature in Kelvin
C	Temperature in Celsius

As we know that the true conversion value is 273.15, but we usually ignore the decimal portion and consider 273.

Solved Examples on Celsius to Kelvin Formula

Q.1: Convert 15.0° C to Kelvin.

Solution: Applying formula,

15.0 + 273.15 = 288.15

Thus temperature in kelvin will be 288.15 Kelvin.