méterkelvin

The meterkelvin (mK) is a unit of temperature difference or temperature interval in the International System of Units (SI). It is equivalent to one-thousandth of a kelvin. The kelvin (K) is the base unit of thermodynamic temperature in the SI. Therefore, 1 K = 1000 mK. The meterkelvin is not used to express absolute temperatures, but rather the magnitude of temperature changes or the precision of temperature measurements.

The SI prefix "milli" (m) denotes a factor of 10⁻³. When applied to the kelvin unit, it results in the meterkelvin. For instance, a temperature difference of 0.005 K can be expressed as 5 mK. This unit is particularly useful in scientific fields where extremely small temperature variations are significant, such as in cryogenics, low-temperature physics, and precision thermometry. In these disciplines, measurements are often made with high resolution, and expressing temperature differences in meterkelvins allows for a more convenient and precise representation of the data. For example, a researcher might state that a sample's temperature was controlled to within ±10 mK, indicating a very tight temperature regulation.