Kelvin, William

[person]

Scottish physician and mathematician born in Belfast, Ireland (1824-1907). In 1867, Kelvin published Treatise on Natural Philosophy (later republished as Principles of Mechanics and Dynamics), which established the role of energy in the theory of mechanics. Kelvin also championed the idea that the entropy of the universe constantly increases, and will eventually reach a state of uniform temperature and maximum entropy, where no further work is possible: This uniform temperature will be absolute zero, or 0° Kelvin (-273°C).