Why saying "degrees Kelvin" is A-OK

Recently, as in just now, I had an argument with a friend over whether saying "276 degrees Kelvin" is correct or not.
As you'll hear from most of your chemistry and physics teachers: "Kelvin is not measured in degrees". However, If you've ever been told "Saying 'degrees Kelvin' is wrong" they're lying to you, and here's why.



As seen here, Kelvin is not usually measured in degrees like Celsius or Fahrenheit. It is also not capitalized as a noun. The accepted way to say a measurement in the Kelvin scale would be: "276 kelvins". Since "kelvin" is a noun, it must also be pluralized correctly. However this does not make saying "276 degrees Kelvin" incorrect.

A degree is defined as: "any of a series of steps or stages, as in a process or course of action; a point in any scale." A degree can be used to represent a 'unit' on any scale. whether it's 'degrees Celsius', 'degrees Inch', or 'degrees Fonzie'. A degree is simply a noun representing a 'point on a scale'. However, this does change 'kelvin' from a noun to a adjective. This is important because when 'kelvin' is an adjective rather than a noun, as in "the Kelvin scale", it is capitalized. Saying "276 degrees Kelvin" is a shortened version of saying "276 degrees on the Kelvin scale" or "276 points on the Kelvin scale". All of which are technically correct.

In conclusion, If you ever get yelled at by your physics or chemistry teacher for saying "276 degrees Kelvin", be sure to argue that you're technically correct.