One degree of difference on this scale, as a unit interval.
Used in a Sentence
kelvin
Definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for kelvin.
Editorial note
The Dewar is a giant thermos containing enough liquid helium to keep the satellite's sensitive instruments cooled to below 4 degrees kelvin for the duration of the experiment (1 year).
Examples17
Definitions4
Parts of speech1
Quick take
One degree of difference on this scale, as a unit interval.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of kelvin gathered in one view.
A measurement of color warmth defined by the temperature kelvin at which an incandescent blackbody would emit a given color.
A male given name transferred from the surname, of rather rare usage.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for kelvin.
noun
One degree of difference on this scale, as a unit interval.
noun
A measurement of color warmth defined by the temperature kelvin at which an incandescent blackbody would emit a given color.
noun
A male given name transferred from the surname, of rather rare usage.
noun
A surname from Scottish Gaelic.
Example sentences
The Dewar is a giant thermos containing enough liquid helium to keep the satellite's sensitive instruments cooled to below 4 degrees kelvin for the duration of the experiment (1 year).
Lord Kelvin was clearly wrong that heavier than air craft were impossible because birds.
All the care and material considerations needed for tight tolerance device that has to survive being cooled to a few degrees kelvin.
It's good no one is using Kelvin for that purpose.
Add to that you have to withstand heating/cooling cycles down to a few Kelvin -- the whole thing needs to withstand a lot of stress so it's heavy.
In fact, it should be versioned in Kelvin versioning, starting at 5,000 and counting down, until it is finally perfected and will never need to change.
In 19th century, Lord Kelvin estimated the age of Earth using this method, arriving at somewhere between 20 and 400 million years[1], much shorter than 4.6 billion years currently accepted.
The efficiency calculation must be done in the Kelvin scale, so the hot temperature is 323K and the cold temperature is 283K, do the maximal possible efficiency is (323K-283K)/323K ~=13%.
And it's a very modern thing to do anyway, old papers by Kelvin and the like read much better than what we have to write these days.
If Lord Kelvin can fail, so can I, damnit!
Quote examples
X-rays will prove to be a hoax." -- William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, British scientist, 1899.
Strictly speaking, Kg is a "kelvin gram".
"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible." -- Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.
"Sterile" is like Absolute Zero (0 Kelvin).
Proper noun examples
It gives you the scale you want and it's easier to convert to scientific scales like Celsius and Kelvin.
Anything that has an energy can be turned into a temperature by dividing by the Boltzman constant k_b (units: Joules/Kelvin).
Lord Kelvin's two clouds led us to relativity and quantum mechanics.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use kelvin in a sentence?
The Dewar is a giant thermos containing enough liquid helium to keep the satellite's sensitive instruments cooled to below 4 degrees kelvin for the duration of the experiment (1 year).
What does kelvin mean?
One degree of difference on this scale, as a unit interval.
What part of speech is kelvin?
kelvin is commonly used as noun.