Celcius vs Kelvin for T1 and T2

[Bryce Ramirez 1J]

Do we need to be aware of any technical changes to the formula if we decide to use Kelvins vs Celcius in the calculations for temperature in both T1 and T2? Or should we just stick with Kelvin to be safe?

[Tracy Tolentino_2E]

I say stick to Kelvin because that is typically what we use. Plus in most equations, the gas constant is in the equation which is 8.314 J/(K * mol).

[005206171]

Always use kelvin. You won’t get the right answer if you use Celsius

[gconcha]

Always always always use Kelvin. Most standard konstants that we use are set for Kelvin, as well -- and I wouldn't suggest that you use the R values (for example) that use Celsius.

[kennedyp]

I think it's safe to always use Kelvin unless told otherwise. Chemistry pretty much prefers Kelvin over other temperatures.

[Jessa Maheras 4F]

KElviN!!!!

[Nawal Dandachi 1G]

you should always convert to Kelvin

[Joshua Swift]

Kelvin is most likely going to be the correct unit, so I would convert to K first.

[Melanie Lin 3E]

I'd say your best bet is to always convert to Kelvin. I don't think you get the correct answer with Celsius.

[Bryan Le 2K]

You should use Kelvin and not Celcius since the R constant is in terms of K.

[Nick Saeedi 1I]

I always use Kelvin because I dont want to risk getting the incorrect answer using celsius.

[Gillian Gabrielsen2F]

Some problems it's okay to use Celsius, but it's good to get into the habit of using Kelvin. Most of the time, using Celsius will give the wrong answer. To be sure, make sure you write out your units and double check that they cancel out correctly.

[Evelyn Silva 3J]

I use Kelvin all the time because if you need to use the gas constant somewhere in the problem it won't work with Celsius.

[Justin Zhang_1A]

You should always use Kelvin unless the question explicitly states to use Celsius.

[Isabella Cortes 2H]

I always convert to Kelvins just to be safe!

[Alexis Sanft 1E]

You generally stick to Kelvin but there was a sapling question that asked for the answer in terms of Celsius, so just make sure you double check to see what the question is actually asking for.

[Isabel_Eslabon_2G]

I usually always convert to Kelvin because most of our constants use Kelvin. Unless a constant given specifically uses Celsius or the question asks you to use/give your answer in Celsius, just use Kelvin.

[Kaili Valenzuela 2B]

I say stick to Kelvin since most of the constants we use are in Kelvin!

[BoparaiAdeshsurjit2F]

I would stick with kelvin as in order to cancel temperature in our formula the gas constants usually have kelvin as the denominator.

[Amanda Chang 2B]

For this formula, Kelvin. A good rule of thumb whenever wondering what units of temperature to use in general is to look at the units of the constants you are using. For example, specific heat can sometimes be in Celsius while R is usually in Kelvin.

[Katie Lam 2J]

For this formula, I would stick to Kelvin. I think it is useful to convert to units that match any constants in the formula. This makes it easier to avoid mistakes with units in your final answer too.

[Chloe Shamtob 2H]

For this formula, you should always convert celsius to kelvin. I have often made that mistake in the past and have got a question wrong, So make sure you convert your temperatures to kelvin.

[Brianna Chen 3F]

Since the formula does not indicate a change in temperature, you cannot interchange Celsius and Kelvin. Therefore, you would have to only use Kelvins in this case because the units cancel out with the gas constant, R.

[Stephanie Zhang 2K]

For that specific formula, I would definitely use Kelvin! This is because you're looking at the ratio of T2/T1, and so the ratio would be different if you're using ˚C versus Kelvin.

For things that are asking for the change in temperature, such as q=mC∆T, that's when you can use either ˚C or Kelvin, since the same in temperature will be the same with either ˚C or Kelvin (from ˚C+273.15=K). Otherwise, especially when you have to do ratios, use Kelvin units. Hope this helped!

[Ximeng Guo 2K]

Use Kelvin. K=C+273

[Edison Tham 3D]

You would have to use Kelvin only, since the units of Kelvin need to cancel out with the gas constant R, as well as how it's not interchangeable since it's not a "change" in temperature but rather the two temperatures itself.

[Sabrina Galvan 3J]

The usage of kelvin or celsius will depend on the other units of the other values in the equation. You would want them all to match, so only use kelvin, if the other values also include kelvin units and vice versa for celsius.

[Ritika Prasad 1A]

Are there ever any problems where we could end up with a wrong answer if we use Kelvin?

[Rajshree 1F]

Use Kelvin because the R value also uses Kelvin

[Sophia Spungin 2E]

unless the value for temperature is a change in temperature (ie ∆T as in the equation q=mC∆T), then it matters whether you use K or Celcius. For most equations that use a value of R, temperature must be in Kelvin, so a safe bet would be to convert to Kelvin however it is always important to look at the units of the other values/constants when deciding. Again, C and K are only interchangeable when talking about change in temperature, in all other cases you must determine the appropriate units.

[Mackenzie Van Val 3E]

It is always better to use Kelvin since it is the SI unit for temperature. Also, since R is units of J/mol*K, you want to use Kelvin so that the units cancel out.

[Jamie2002]

You should use Kelvin for most calculations, including this one!

[Kyle Dizon 3A]

Possibly using kelvin will be the most reliable answer instead of celsius. If you are given celsius, simply convert to kelvin by adding 273. It is also important to remember to use the proper units for the R constant.

[Naomi Hernandez-Ramirez 1J]

I usually use Kelvin and if the problem gives me temperature in Celsius then I just convert.

[MariaCassol1L]

You should use Kelvin in the van't Hoff equation. If you forget just look at the units in the gas constant which are given in kelvin.

[Lauren Strickland 1B]

I think you would use Kelvin.

[Can Yilgor 2D]

I believe using Kelvin, in this case, is a safer option.

[Crystal Pan 2G]

It depends on which constant you're using. Typically the constant is R = 8.314 J/ Kxmol, so you would have to use Kelvins in that case.

[Jiayi Wu 3J]

Sometimes I found that I don't need to convert to Kelvins in order to get the right answer. Just make sure that your units are consistent. It's always good to write down the units in your equations.

[Gabe_Ek 1G]

I believe using Kelvin is the safe option. But I know at time it's okay to use Celsius because both units have the same degree of change.

[Sydney Sullivan 2J]

The safest bet is to always use Kelvin. That being said, if you are finding the difference between T1 and T2 (such as when calculating heat absorbed or released using mcΔT), it will not matter which one you use.

[Siwa Hwang 3G]

it depends on the unit of ideal gas number or specific heat capacity

[Aanya Tanti 3C]

Use Kelvin just to be safe!

[Violet Kwan 3H]

It is best to use Kelvin just to be safe

[Gabriel Nitro 1E]

Hi,

A good rule of thumb is always use Kelvin for your thermodynamic equations. In MOST (not all) cases, we have to use Kelvins because the constants we are given (such as the ideal gas constant) are expressed in terms of Kelvin (this ensures it cancels out for your final answer).

Hope this helps! :)

[Sid Panda 3A]

personally, i use kelvin as a default for almost every equation we have to use.

[sophie esherick 3H]

I would use Kelvin depending on the units of the problem, for example, if you have to use the ideal gas constant (8.3145 J K^-1*mol^-1) then use Kelvin. However, if you are doing a problem where you use q = m*c*delta T, the delta T is the same whether you have Celsius or kelvin so you can keep your temperature in Celsius.

[FrancescaHawkins2H]

I would be sure to convert to Kelvin if temperature in given in Celsius because K is the standard unit and is used in most equations involving temperature. However, as someone above mentioned, the unit shouldn't matter if you are using delta T, or the difference in temperature, because the difference should be the same regardless of the units.

[RyanKopeikin_2I]

For this formula you need to use Kelvin.

[Madeline Ogden 3B]

You should be using kelvin for T1 and T2. If you ever forget which one to use, I advise writing all of your units out for each variable in the equation and making sure they all cross out in the end leaving you only with the desired unit(s) for the problem.

[Halle Villalobos 3E]

Hi! I always stick to kelvin since most constants use K. It doesn't hurt to spend the few extra seconds to convert!

[Sukhkiran Kaur 3I]

Always use Kelvin!

[jia207]

For most calculations in this class, you should use kelvin

[Susan Chamling 1F]

I prefer staying with Kelvin mainly because most of the units involved in calculations include Kelvin rather than Celsius.

[Lesly Lopez 3A]

From experience I think it's safe to always use Kelvin unless told otherwise. It is a simple step but can be easily forgotten.

[Teti Omilana 1G]

I'm pretty sure you are supposed to always use Kelvin for this class.

[Jordan Tatang 3L]

I believe you should be using temp in Kelvin if using 8.341 for R constant.

[Namratha Gujje]

It would be the safest option to just stick with Kelvin unless it specifically says otherwise.

[Kyla Roche 2K]

Stick with Kelvin! But make sure the units of the gas constant you use are the same.

[Kimiya Aframian IB]

Do we need to be aware of any technical changes to the formula if we decide to use Kelvins vs Celcius in the calculations for temperature in both T1 and T2? Or should we just stick with Kelvin to be safe?

Hi! I think that it is the most safe to use Kelvin but always try to check if there are any units that suggest you would need to use Celsius. Also, when subtracting temperatures it does not matter what unit you are using because it will always be the same difference. Hope this helps!

[Sara Sandri 2B]

Usually we should use kelvin for temperature (especially for the Van Hoff equation) but for thermo in general, you have to pay attention to the units of other things you are using to solve the problem. For example, the specific heat capacity of liquid water is 4.184 J/g degrees C so you would use celsius for delta T (even though technically delta T would be the same for Kelvin and Celsius). Just pay attention to the units of other things you are using.

[Jason Knight - 1F]

Stick to Kelvin when using equations. This is especially true when using the natural log function in our formulas as you will receive a wrong answer if using celsius.

[DPatel_2L]

Use Kelvin.

[Arnav Saud 2C]

You should stick with kelvin because most of the common/most used constants in this class use kelvin.

[Nan_Guan_1L]

i think kelvin is a safer choice, since all the formulas were created using kelvin basically. using celsius would cause an issue with the units not matching up, and you would have to switch all other components that are related to temperature from kelvin to celsius. that sounds like a lot of extra work

[LovepreetSran_3H]

Always stick to kelvin!

[arisawaters2D]

Is there any condition in thermodynamics where we should use Celcius over kelvin in an equation?

[Randi Ruelas 1G]

I believe our answers should always be in kelvin, unless celsius is specifically asked, the formulas always use kelvin though

[Diana Aguilar 3H]

I believe that we should always have temperature in units of Kelvin since using Celsius might give you issues with your answer and units, so unless the question directly asks for the units to be in celsius, just stick to using Kelvin.

[Ashwin Vasudevan 3A]

Using Kelvin for calculation is better as the units cancel out in most circumstances when using Kelvin. There are some circumstances where it asks for the difference in temperature or Delta T and in that circumstance Kelvin and Celsius are the same. It is still better to use Kelvin though.

[Samantha Loc 1B]

I believe kelvin is used!

[Tara Cumiskey 3K]

I believe you are suppose to use kelvin.

[Diana Avalos]

I recommend you to use Kelvin only. If the question asks for celsius, then convert it!

[Diya Kar]

In most thermodynamic calculations referencing delta G, H, or S, kelvins are used. Thus, for Tl and T2 calculations, kelvins should be optimized.

[Crystal Ma 2J]

You should use Kelvin!

[Caitlyn Lo 2F]

Use Kelvin. But definitely make sure to look at which units are being given and make sure that they are being converted to the right units

[Chris Korban 1D]

I would probably use kelvin just to look safe and to make sure there are no small technical errors

[Genelle Marcelino-Searles 2G]

We should usually use Kelvin, and you can remember this by seeing the units of R.

[Valerie Jun 2D]

For basically all calculations in chemistry we use kelvin! if the problem you are solving requires delta t it is okay to use celsius to calculate change in temperature because the units of change for celsius and kelvin are the same, kelvin is jsut 273 values greater.

[Keanu Ngo 3B]

You should stick to Kelvin.

[eriko vong 3D]

I think Kelvin should be used, unless the problem states otherwise

[Elliana_Tsang_1L]

Make sure to use Kelvin, since you want to make sure the units cancel out. The units of the gas constant are J*mol^-1*K, so you have to convert the temperature to Kelvin to solve the problem.

[rayirfan]

Typically, always use Kelvin in calculations. The only case you can use Celsius is whether it is specified in the answer/units or when there is a change in temperature, since a degree in celsius = a degree in kelvin.

[Kylie Heering 1D]

Rule of thumb is the always use Kelvins, but pay attention to units! For example, if you're using a heat capacity value that has celsius in its units, then use celsius. If your looking for deltaT, it doesn't really matter because you are just looking for the difference between Tfinal and Tinitial, which would be the same for both Kelvins and celsius. With that said, a lot of times constants related to thermodynamics (like R, the gas constant), have Kelvins in their units--so use kelvins so that it'll match!

[Emma Fernandez 1C]

I would always convert to Kelvin, unless it is specifically told in units of Celsius!