degree Celsius (°C)
1 degree Celsius = 274.15 kelvins
What is degree Celsius?
Degree Celsius is a temperature unit based on the freezing and boiling points of water at standard atmospheric pressure. It is the most widely used scale for weather forecasting, cooking, and everyday temperature reporting worldwide.
Notes: Convert to kelvin: K = °C + 273.15
Real-world uses
Celsius is used for everyday temperature in most of the world—weather forecasts, cooking temperatures, body temperature (37°C normal), and industrial process controls. Scientific publications outside the US typically report temperatures in °C.
History
Proposed by Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius in 1742, originally with 0° as the boiling point and 100° as freezing. Carl Linnaeus inverted the scale to its modern form shortly after. It was renamed from "centigrade" to "Celsius" in 1948 by the CGPM.
Common mistakes
Assuming Celsius and Fahrenheit scales cross at intuitive points. They intersect at −40°, not at 0° or 100°. Also, confusing a "degree Celsius change" with a "degree Fahrenheit change"—a 1°C change equals a 1.8°F change.
When is this conversion used?
This is the most common temperature conversion worldwide, needed for weather reports, cooking temperatures, and medical readings. Most of the world uses Celsius while the US primarily uses Fahrenheit.
How to convert degree Celsius to kelvin
Formula: K = °C + 273.15
Conversion formula (from base unit)
(x + 273.15)
Measurement standards
The kelvin is the SI base unit of thermodynamic temperature, defined by fixing the Boltzmann constant to exactly 1.380649 × 10⁻²³ joules per kelvin. This definition, adopted in 2019, decoupled the kelvin from the triple point of water.
Did you know?
The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) at the Soviet Vostok Station in Antarctica on 21 July 1983. In laboratories, scientists have cooled atoms to within billionths of a kelvin above absolute zero.
| degrees Celsius | kelvins |
|---|---|
| 0 | 273.15 |
| 10 | 283.15 |
| 20 | 293.15 |
| 25 | 298.15 |
| 37 | 310.15 |
| 50 | 323.15 |
| 100 | 373.15 |
| 200 | 473.15 |
| 500 | 773.15 |
Common values
| degrees Celsius | kelvins | |
|---|---|---|
| Water freezes | 0 degrees Celsius | 273.15 kelvins |
| Room temperature | 21 degrees Celsius | 294.15 kelvins |
| Human body | 37 degrees Celsius | 310.15 kelvins |
| Oven baking | 180 degrees Celsius | 453.15 kelvins |
| Water boils | 100 degrees Celsius | 373.15 kelvins |
Full degree Celsius conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| degree Fahrenheit | 1 °C = 33.8 °F | °F = (°C × 9/5) + 32 |
| kelvin | 1 °C = 274.15 K | K = °C + 273.15 |
| degree Rankine | 1 °C = 493.47 °R | °R = °C × 1.8 + 491.67 |
| degree Réaumur | 1 °C = 0.8 °Re | °Re = °C × 4/5 |