Boltzmann’s Constant

Why Trust Techopedia

What Does Boltzmann’s Constant Mean?

Boltzmann’s Constant is a mathematical notation and physical constant that is used to calculate the thermal voltage in a semiconductor.

Advertisements

Boltzmann’s Constant was conceived by Ludwig Boltzmann, an Austrian physicist. It is denoted by kor kb. Its value is 1.3807 x 10 joules per (J · K ).

Techopedia Explains Boltzmann’s Constant

Boltzmann’s Constant helps identify the temperature and relative kinetic energy for each gas molecule. It helps clarify the relationship between an electric current and electric potential, which result in thermal voltage observed on semiconductors p-n junction.
The thermal voltage relates to a semiconductor’s overall temperature based on the following: If the temperature increases, so will the kinetic energy or produced thermal voltage produced by the increase in temperature.

Advertisements

Related Terms

Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.