Kelvin

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/kelvin

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the Kelvin scale and why does it start at absolute zero?The Kelvin scale is a temperature scale that starts at absolute zero, the coldest possible point where all molecular motion stops. It gives scientists a universal reference for measuring temperature.
2. Who invented the Kelvin scale and when?William Thomson, later known as Lord Kelvin, proposed the Kelvin scale in 1848 to create an absolute temperature system.

Thermodynamics: The branch of physics concerned with heat and its relation to other forms of energy and work.
Absolute Zero: The theoretical lowest possible temperature, approximately -273.15 °C or 0 K, at which particle motion approaches zero.
Triple Point of Water: The unique temperature (273.16 K) and pressure at which water exists in solid, liquid, and gaseous states simultaneously.
Boltzmann Constant (k): A fundamental physical constant that relates the average kinetic energy of particles in a gas with the thermodynamic temperature of the gas.