Convert °F to K

Fahrenheit

Definition: The Fahrenheit scale (symbol: °F) is a temperature scale based on one proposed in 1724 by the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit. In this scale, the freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) and the boiling point is 212 °F at standard atmospheric pressure.

History/origin: The Fahrenheit scale was developed by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, a German-Dutch-Polish physicist, engineer, and glass blower, in the early 18th century. Fahrenheit's scale was based on three points: the temperature of a mixture of ice, water, and ammonium chloride (set at 0 °F); the freezing point of water (32 °F); and human body temperature (originally set at 96 °F, later adjusted to 98.6 °F).

There are several accounts of how Fahrenheit originally established the 0°F point. According to one account, Fahrenheit established 0 °F as the temperature of an equal mixture of ice and salt, with 32 °F being the temperature at which water freezes and 96 °F being the temperature of the human body. He then observed that the boiling point of water with this scale was 212 °F, and defined that as the third reference point.

Current use: The Fahrenheit scale is primarily used in the United States and its territories for non-scientific measurements. It is also used in the Bahamas, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Palau, and a few other countries. Most countries worldwide use the Celsius scale for everyday temperature measurement.

Kelvin

Definition: The Kelvin (symbol: K) is the base unit of temperature in the International System of Units (SI), used alongside the Celsius scale. The Kelvin scale is an absolute, thermodynamic temperature scale where absolute zero, the coldest possible temperature, is 0 K. The scale's unit increments are equal to those of the Celsius scale.

History/origin: The Kelvin scale is named after the British physicist William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin. He proposed the concept of absolute temperature in 1848. In 1954, the 10th General Conference on Weights and Measures defined the Kelvin scale in terms of the triple point of water (273.16 K). In 2019, the General Conference on Weights and Measures redefined the Kelvin in terms of the Boltzmann constant, but the scale maintains its previous values.

Current use: The Kelvin scale is primarily used in scientific contexts. It is used in fields like physics, engineering, and chemistry. It is the standard unit of temperature in scientific measurement.