Best temperature scale?

[cheesy999]

I totally agree with you that the metric system is way better than any imperial system. People should make the effort to get used to it. The difficulty in acclimatizing to it by 'ordinary' non-scientist, non-technical people should not stunt progress. If it wasn't for scientists, we'd still be in the damned stone age today so yes, scientists should set the standard.

I have to make a confession here myself: here in England, they use miles per hour to measure speed, almost exclusively. I feel totally comfortable with it, too. I know just how fast 60mph is. But 100kph? It's the same speed, but I have to do that multiplication by 1.6 each time.

However, if the country were to have a referendum on a wholesale move over to kph measurement, like in the rest of Europe, I'd vote for it without hesitation and I'd have the speedo dial in my car replaced to reflect this. It fits in with the rest of the metric measurement system, such as metres, millimeters etc, so it's a no-brainer.

i wouldn't, as much as km fit in i still think in MPH, also Think of how bad the speed limit will be if we go to metric, they'll either end up as really odd number like 97.8 or the government will use it as an opportunity to lower the speed limits by rounding down the numbers

 

[inferKNOX]

From all the temperatures scales in this world, I think Kelvin makes the most sense. C/F are based on human perception of the environment. Also K is the only temperature scale that does not have the word degree in it. It's that absolute.

Celsius is simply the range within the Kelvin scale that clearly demarcates the phase change temperatures of water, the most essential resource to human survival, & also doubles as an approximate range within which our atmospheric conditions typically range, not a perception.

 

[qubit]

i wouldn't, as much as km fit in i still think in MPH, also Think of how bad the speed limit will be if we go to metric, they'll either end up as really odd number like 97.8 or the government will use it as an opportunity to lower the speed limits by rounding down the numbers

Yeah, you're right there, but that's politics meddling with it, which taints the science.

You can see how this will go, can't you? All the speed limit signs will stay the same, but mean KPH instead. So max speed on the motorway will then be 70KPH or 43.75MPH. Yes, that would be 'progress'. I'm sure the anti-car brigade would have a field day.

 

[inferKNOX]

Well I can tell you guys that in countries that use km/h, the average speed limit on wide roads is 100km/h, on highways and open roads, it's 120km/h.
Suburban main roads are 80km/h and inner city and minor roads are 60km/h.
Simple enough to remember I think in increments of 20km/h.

 

[DaveK]

I use Celsius, because it's more convenient to me as it's used everywhere I go. None of this, negatives are complicated crap lol

 

[St.Alia-Of-The-Knife]

all countries except united states have celcius and km
why is the US so stuborn!

 

[cheesy999]

all countries except united states have celcius and km
why is the US so stuborn!

not true, 2 other countries still use only imperial and countries like UK, Canada, Ireland, India still use some imperial measurement

 

[Frederik S]

The scientific way to express a decimal number is 9 dot or comma depending on whether you are using US or EU decimal separator which is another issue, you never express it by the thousands of anything any more. You can really reverse that completely just take something that is not a fraction that makes sense like 9.4374.

And in C the average body temperature is 37. Which is +-1 degree C of peoples actual temperature. The body temperature varies a lot during the day and no two people have the same core temperature. The F temperature systems only logical reference is to a variable which is not rational.

 

[Frick]

Fahrenheit is better than Celsius for common folk in their everyday routines.

I've said this in the thread already: you feel that way because you're used to it, you grew up with it. C is not better than F or the other way around, it's all about upbringing. If you were from Sweden you would be extremely comfortable with using C and F would be confusing at first.

I do think it would be useful to have a proper global system though.

 

[twilyth]

all countries except united states have celcius and km
why is the US so stuborn!

That's just how we roll.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I've said this in the thread already: you feel that way because you're used to it, you grew up with it. C is not better than F or the other way around, it's all about upbringing. If you were from Sweden you would be extremely comfortable with using C and F would be confusing at first.

I do think it would be useful to have a proper global system though.

The most frequent place we hear about temperatures is in climate. The highest recorded temperature on Earth was 136° Fahrenheit (58° Celsius) and the lowest was -128.6° Fahrenheit (-89.6° Celsius). The range of Fahrenheit was 264.6° and the range of Celsius was 147.6°--almost double the resolution at no extra charge.

My point by this is that when a temperature is given in Fahrenheit and Celsius without decimal points, Fahrenheit will always be more precise than Celsius. It's like measuring the length of something using decameters instead of meters with no decimal points--decameter will always be more precise.

That is why it is better and always will be better for everyday use, regardless of whether or not it is "confusing."

 

[Frick]

The most frequent place we hear about temperatures is in climate. The highest recorded temperature on Earth was 136° Fahrenheit (58° Celsius) and the lowest was -128.6° Fahrenheit (-89.6° Celsius). The range of Fahrenheit was 264.6° and the range of Celsius was 147.6°--almost double the resolution at no extra charge.

My point by this is that when a temperature is given in Fahrenheit and Celsius without decimal points, Fahrenheit will always be more precise than Celsius. It's like measuring the length of something using decameters instead of meters with no decimal points--decameter will always be more precise.

That is why it is better and always will be better for everyday use, regardless of whether or not it is "confusing." A tool is only as good as the individual that wields it.

I think we have talked about this before. When you need to be that precise you're using decimals anyway. In everyday use you don't have to be that precise. THere was this argument that you can feel the difference between 70 and 71F which translates to 21.111111etc and 21.6666 C. But you don't have to be that precise, you say it's 21 or 22 C.

And the most common thermometer in sweden is the one that looks like this:

You glance at it and say it's -20.

Also, local temperatures vary a lot from place to place. Drive down a road with lots and ups and down and you can have a 10C difference on two spots pretty close to each other. Even those digital meters are true only for the spot the sensor is.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Which also proves my point (note how many more ticks are on the Fahrenheit side):

When you compare 10 degrees in Celcius, you're comparing 18 degrees in Fahrenheit.

 

[Frick]

Which also proves my point (note how many more ticks are on the Fahrenheit side):
http://inel.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/miamimuseumofsciencethermometer.gif?w=550

It still does not matter, to me anyway. And you still have the location thing. You say it's -10 outside, but that's only true for the spot so it's still not that precise. As soon as you move away you only "kinda" know the temperature.

And that picture is unfair, the only marked the tens on the celsius side.

 

[cheesy999]

Which also proves my point (note how many more ticks are on the Fahrenheit side):
http://inel.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/miamimuseumofsciencethermometer.gif?w=550

When you compare 10 degrees in Celcius, you're comparing 18 degrees in Fahrenheit.

notice how you need 3 digits to display Fahrenheit numbers above ~38'c, if your going to use 3 digit just use Celsius with a decimal, its no harder to remember, its still 3 digits, and Celsius to 1dp is more accurate the Fahrenheit

 

[FordGT90Concept]

And that picture is unfair, the only marked the tens on the celsius side.

It's apples to apples. 10s on Celsius and 10s on Fahrenheit--same range real temperature wise.

notice how you need 3 digits to display Fahrenheit numbers above ~38'c, if your going to use 3 digit just use Celsius with a decimal, its no harder to remember, its still 3 digits, and Celsius to 1dp is more accurate the Fahrenheit

All digital temperature guages in the USA are capable of displaying three digits in these parts. 888 LEDs with a maximum display range of 999 to -99. Works great.

 

[qubit]

Which also proves my point (note how many more ticks are on the Fahrenheit side):
http://inel.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/miamimuseumofsciencethermometer.gif?w=550

When you compare 10 degrees in Celcius, you're comparing 18 degrees in Fahrenheit.

So, F is higher resolution then. I never thought of that before, although I have seen thermometers like that. Although I would still use C for the reasons I've said, I agree that this is a valid point in F's favour.

 

[Wile E]

The scientific way to express a decimal number is 9 dot or comma depending on whether you are using US or EU decimal separator which is another issue, you never express it by the thousands of anything any more. You can really reverse that completely just take something that is not a fraction that makes sense like 9.4374.

And in C the average body temperature is 37. Which is +-1 degree C of peoples actual temperature. The body temperature varies a lot during the day and no two people have the same core temperature. The F temperature systems only logical reference is to a variable which is not rational.

That's simply not true anymore. The F scale has been standardized.

Yet another moot point.

Lot's of moot points being made against both scales here.

Again, neither are better. Depends on the situation, and personal preference.

 

[twilyth]

I'm just going to come out and say what everyone is thinking - Celsius is gay and that's why Fahrenheit is better. /thread :shadedshu

 

[LAN_deRf_HA]

I don't think the sexual orientation of a temperature scale is indicative of it's merits.

 

[silkstone]

I have always used Celcius and Kelvin, Farnheight totally confuse me, but i guess the most convenient is the system you know. I do like how at below zero it is freezing outside, remembering body temp isn;t much of an issue, 39C is a high fever, above 40C and you have a problem. It converts to the Kalvin scale pretty easily, where 0K is absolute zero.
At the end of the day it's just a number system you could ask why we count to the base 10 not 2. why we count in days/weeks/months/years (Based on the sun and moon) and not use a different number system for time, why is an hr 60mins?

Both temperature scales are equally valid, but i prefer Celsius as it's what i know and it's international.

 

[ShiBDiB]

Fahrenheit because America says so...

 

[streetfighter 2]

I just want to point out, as someone with literally no credentials whatsoever, this is retarded.

Some other questions you can debate:
-Is hardback better than softback?
-Are pennies better than cents?
-Is salsa better chunky or not?
-Are boxes better than cases?

This goes back to the nonsensical discussion of whether imperial is better than metric, which resolves to the fact that the meter is every bit as stupid as a foot, but it's a better unit than a foot when you're doing chemistry/physics/etc.. That is to say that the meter is not naturally derived unlike a planck length. When you learn to do math in science you learn that every number has a unit (expressible in many different ways), and some of them are truly ridiculous. For instance I could, in the course of making some calculation, arrive at say (3.38E-10)(W^2*mol/m^3*K) or in a sentence: 3.38 times 10 to the power of negative 10, squared watt mole per cubed meter kelvin*.

Did anyone know that a pound (lb) and a gram (g) don't even measure the same thing (though you can define one with regard to the other)? A pound is a weight and a gram is a mass. The imperial unit for mass is a slug which is defined as (in a sentence): one squared second foot-pound per foot.

So in conclusion, the temperature scale doesn't matter, unless you're doing scientific calculations, in which case Celsius or Kelvin are preferred due to international standards (SI).

*This is a non-sensical measure that could probably be reduced to some kcal or joule measurement for molar concentration.

 

[Peter1986C]

a gram is a mass

True, but in daily use it is used as a weight measure. Probably most people are not aware that weight is that weight = mass * 9.81 (using metrics here, and basing the formula on the wikipedia page on gravity combined with the little bit (mass and gravity related) I remember from secondary school, so there may be errors in the calculation given).

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Here on Earth, weight and mass are intechangable. Mass only becomes relevant when you leave Earth. For most people, the difference means nothing.