How anders celcius defined temperature scale.

In summary, Anders Celsius, the founder of the °C temperature scale, chose to use water as a benchmark for measuring temperature. He set the freezing point of water at 0°C and the boiling point at 100°C. This decision was made for practical reasons, as water was easy to work with. However, later on, the scale was reversed by Linnaeus and others. This was due to the fact that the boiling point of water varies significantly with pressure, causing some issues. For more information, refer to the Wikipedia article on Celsius.
  • #1
parshyaa
307
19
What made anders celcius(founder of °c temperature scale) to use water as a bench mark for measuring temperature, why he used water's freezing point as 0°c and boiling point as 100°c, is there a reason or he just used water so that it can work easily.
 
Chemistry news on Phys.org
  • #2
Celsius actually defined it the other way round, with zero as boiling and 100 as freezing! It was changed round later by Linnaeus and others.

Water was easy to work with, although the fact that the boiling point varied significantly with pressure was a bit of a problem.

For more detail see the Wikipedia article on Celsius.
 
  • Like
Likes parshyaa

1. How did Anders Celsius define the temperature scale?

Anders Celsius defined the temperature scale by using the freezing and boiling points of water as reference points. He assigned the freezing point of water as 0 degrees and the boiling point as 100 degrees on his scale.

2. What is the significance of Celsius' temperature scale?

Celsius' temperature scale is significant because it is widely used as the standard unit for measuring temperature in most countries around the world. It is also used as the base unit for the International System of Units (SI) for temperature measurement.

3. Did Celsius' original scale have the same range as the modern scale?

No, Celsius' original scale actually had a reversed range compared to the modern scale. In his scale, 0 degrees represented the boiling point of water and 100 degrees represented the freezing point. The scale was later reversed by Carolus Linnaeus, a colleague of Celsius, to match the modern range we use today.

4. Did Celsius use any other reference points for his scale?

Yes, Celsius also used the body temperature of a healthy human as a reference point on his scale. He assigned this point as 100 degrees, which is why some people refer to a fever as having a temperature of 100 degrees.

5. How did the Celsius scale become the dominant temperature scale?

The Celsius scale became dominant due to its simplicity and widespread use. It was widely adopted by scientists and countries, and it was also the chosen scale for the International System of Units (SI), which further solidified its dominance.

Similar threads

Replies
14
Views
2K
Replies
21
Views
6K
Replies
1
Views
439
Replies
24
Views
2K
Replies
7
Views
844
Replies
26
Views
3K
  • Thermodynamics
Replies
14
Views
667
Replies
11
Views
1K
  • Thermodynamics
2
Replies
40
Views
7K
Replies
3
Views
913
Back
Top