What does the symbol K stand for as concerning the boiling point of water?

Answer 1

The 'K' stands for kelvin. Kelvin is a thermodynamic temperature scale that measures absolute temperatures. In the kelvin system, 0 K is absolute zero -- the state at which all thermal energy stops.

In the Kelvin scale, the boiling point of water is 373.1339 K

Notice that it doesn't say "degrees kelvin". That's because the kelvin scale is not measured in the same way as Celsius or Fahrenheit. In both Celsius and Fahrenheit, there is a baseline of 0, and then the increments can go either positively or negatively based on that basic point. In the kelvin system, the baseline is absolute zero and can't get any lower and is therefore it is an absolute measure that can be manipulated algebraically. So, if you move to 5 K, that means you applied five times the amount of heat.

Answer 2

The symbol "K" typically represents Kelvin, a unit of temperature measurement. When referring to the boiling point of water, it can denote the temperature in Kelvins, which is 373.15 K.