Question

What is the SI unit of temperature?

Hint:

Think of the absolute temperature scale that starts at absolute zero.

Answer 1

Step 1. Temperature is one of the seven base quantities of the SI system, alongside mass, length and time.
Step 2. The SI base unit for temperature is the kelvin, given the symbol K, and it is named after the physicist Lord Kelvin.
Step 3. The kelvin scale is an absolute scale, meaning it starts at absolute zero, the lowest temperature theoretically possible, where zero kelvin corresponds to about minus 273.15 degrees Celsius.
Step 4. A change of one kelvin is exactly the same size as a change of one degree Celsius, so temperatures on the two scales are related by \(T(K) = T(^{\circ}C) + 273.15\).
Answer. The SI unit of temperature is the kelvin (K).