Abstract
The temperature of a system is determined by the quantity of kinetic energy within it. In turn, the quantity of kinetic energy is a measure of molecular motion. The SI unit of temperature or temperature change is the Kelvin (K), now universally used in physics and chemistry. However, in the biological literature, where a relatively narrow temperature is important, there has been little movement towards use of the Kelvin (except for cryobiologists who eschew negative numerals), probably because it results in rather cumbersome numbers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1992 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Davenport, J. (1992). Basic concepts. In: Animal Life at Low Temperature. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2344-0_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2344-0_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-5035-7
Online ISBN: 978-94-011-2344-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive