Knowing the temperature of your body, the air outside the window, the water that fills the bath or pool, and many other phenomena and objects surrounding a modern person has become commonplace, and the measurement process is simple and accessible to everyone. If you ask a question about what temperature someone has or something, it is unlikely that the numbers mentioned in response will cause bewilderment, being completely uncharacteristic.
The reason for this is the system of measuring a given physical quantity on the Celsius scale, which is widespread practically throughout the world . However, in the United States, Canada, England and several other countries, the definition of temperature according to the Fahrenheit system is common in everyday life. To understand each other, it is enough to represent the range of each scale and their ratio in Fahrenheit and Celsius.
The object of measurement, or what is the temperature?
The term comes from the word temperature (translated from Latin - "normal state / displacement"). From the point of view of physics, this is a quantity that characterizes the mobility of the molecules of a substance, its internal energy. The faster particles move, the more they collide with each other - the higher the temperature value. Hence the well-known fact that when heated, the volume of bodies and substances increases. But temperature and heat are not identical concepts. Heated to the same temperature parameters of the body have different ability to heat third-party objects (an example is the difference between the speed of boiling the kettle on a small and a large burner).
The invention of Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit
The Dutch physicist, born in 1686 in the Polish city of Gdansk, began his scientific work early on. He assembled measuring instruments with his own hands and at the age of 23 he invented an alcohol thermometer, and after 5 years - a mercury. In 1724, Fahrenheit proposed to the scientific community its temperature measurement system. She later underwent some changes. The scientist's goal was to create a scale without a negative value, so for zero he took the lowest temperature known at that time - the melting of a mixture of ice, water and ammonia. To determine one division on the thermometer - degrees - the physicist used the range between the index of melting ice and boiling water, dividing it into 180 equal parts.
Andres Celsius Temperature Measurement System
Astronomer born in Sweden in 1701, a geologist and meteorologist proposed his scale in 1742. As a zero, the boiling point of water was initially used, and for 100 degrees its melting. The direction of the most widespread scale in the world today was changed by the contemporary of Celsius Carl Linnaeus in the year of the death of its author - 1744. Thus, it acquired its current form. Temperatures lower than the melting point of ice are measured on the same principle as high, but have a negative value.
Fahrenheit to Celsius ratio
Indicative for comparison of the two systems will be the well-known temperature standards - boiling water, melting ice, the norm for a healthy human body.
The numbers will be as follows - 100 °, 0 ° and an approximate average value in the range from 36 to 37 ° on the Celsius scale. In Fahrenheit, the ratio will be as follows - 212 °, 32 ° and approximately 98 °. One of the key concepts in temperature measurement is absolute zero - a theoretical value, which is a reference point and a reference for any use of systems. This value is characterized by the absence of motion of matter particles. In the ratio of Celsius and Fahrenheit, these are indicators equal to -273.15 and -459.67 degrees.
Transferring the values of one system to another is quite simple. For such an arithmetic transformation, there is a formula used in two directions (depending on the initial indicator). The ratio of degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius is 1: 5/9.
Thus, to translate the readings of the Fahrenheit thermometer into the Celsius system, it is necessary to subtract 32 from the initial value and multiply by 5/9.
Accordingly, the inverse transformation is carried out according to the formula in which the data of the Celsius scale are multiplied by 5/9 and 32 are added.
To understand both systems and use them in everyday life, it is not at all necessary to apply mathematical calculations every time. If the use of an unfamiliar system is necessary, it is enough to practice a little, and the approximate value of the data in the ratio of Fahrenheit and Celsius will be easily determined “by ear”.