thermodynamic temperature scale

thermodynamic temperature scale

A temperature scale in which the temperature, T , is a function of the energy possessed by matter. Thermodynamic temperature is therefore a physical quantity that can be expressed in units, termed kelvin. The zero of the scale is absolute zero. The temperature of the ice point (0 °C) is 273.15 kelvin. Thermodynamic temperature can be converted to Celsius temperature by subtracting 273.15 from the thermodynamic temperature.

Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006

thermodynamic temperature scale

[¦thər·mō·dī′nam·ik ′tem·prə·chər ‚skāl]

(thermodynamics)

Any temperature scale in which the ratio of the temperatures of two reservoirs is equal to the ratio of the amount of heat absorbed from one of them by a heat engine operating in a Carnot cycle to the amount of heat rejected by this engine to the other reservoir; the Kelvin scale and the Rankine scale are examples of this type.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.