Boltzmann constant

The Boltzmann constant (k or kB) is the physical constant relating temperature to energy.

Related Topics:
Physical constant - Temperature - Energy

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The Boltzmann constant is also the conversion factor between gas units. It tells how many joule per kelvin make a molecule.

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The Boltzman Constant can also be thought as, and taught as the specific heat capacity of one molecule, that is the amount of energy taken to raise one molecule by one degree Kelvin. Although this is not the classic definition.

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It is named after the Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann, who made important contributions to the theory of statistical mechanics, in which this constant plays a crucial role. Its experimentally determined value is (in SI units, 2002 CODATA value)

Related Topics:
Austria - Ludwig Boltzmann - Statistical mechanics - Experiment - SI - CODATA

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:k = 1.380 6505(24) × 10−23 J/K.

Related Topics:
J - K

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The digits in parentheses are the uncertainty (standard deviation) in the last two digits of the measured value. In principle, the Boltzmann constant could be a derived physical constant, as its value is determined by other physical constants and in the definition of unit of absolute temperature. However, calculating the Boltzmann constant from first principles is far too complex to be done with current knowledge. In Planck's system of natural units, the natural unit temperature is such that the Boltzmann constant is one.

Related Topics:
Standard deviation - Temperature - Natural units - Natural unit temperature

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The universal gas constant R is simply the Boltzmann constant multiplied by Avogadro's number. The gas constant is more useful when calculating numbers of particles in moles.

Related Topics:
Universal gas constant - Avogadro's number - Moles

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