Editing 1923: Felsius

{{comic
| number    = 1923
| date      = December 1, 2017
| title     = Felsius
| image     = felsius.png
| titletext = The symbol for degrees Felsius is an average of the Euro symbol (&#8364;) and the Greek lunate epsilon (&#1013;).
}}

==Explanation==

Just like in [[1292: Pi vs. Tau]], [[Randall]] tries to unify two measurement systems by averaging both values, with little success (however this is a matter of opinion).

There are several {{w|Scale_of_temperature|temperature scales}} actively used in different parts of the world of for different purposes, including {{w|Celsius}} and {{w|Fahrenheit}}, but e.g. also {{w|Kelvin}} and {{w|Rankine_scale|Rankine}}.

The debate on whether to use Fahrenheit or Celsius is, just like the one between {{w|United States customary units}} (which uses Fahrenheit), {{w|imperial units}} (outdated system that used Fahrenheit), and {{w|Metric system|metric units}} (which use Celsius or Kelvin), one that is mostly restricted to the US. While Fahrenheit is a widely used temperature scale in the US, most other countries have already switched from Fahrenheit to Celsius or have always used Celsius. In scientific circles, even in the US, only Celsius (and Kelvin) are used.

The conversion factors between Celsius and Fahrenheit are:
:°C = (°F − 32) × 5 / 9
:°F = °C × 9 / 5 + 32

which makes the average (mean) value of °C and °F: °⋲ = °C × 7 / 5 + 16.  The step-by-step derivation of this is:
:°⋲ = (°C + °F) / 2
: = (°C + (°C × 9 / 5 + 32)) / 2
: = (°C + °C × 9 / 5 + 32) / 2
: = (°C × 5 / 5 + °C × 9 / 5 + 32) / 2
: = (°C × (5+9) / 5 + 32) / 2
: = (°C × 14 / 5 + 32) / 2
: = °C × 7 / 5 + 16

[[Randall]] chose to name his new unit of temperature Felsius (a {{w|portmanteau}} of Fahrenheit and Celsius). 

Comically enough, the Felsius scale discards the main advantages of either temperature scale. The Celsius scale is based around 0 °C as the melting point of water and 100 °C as the boiling point, which is an advantage Felsius does not preserve. Fahrenheit is often argued to be a convenient temperature measure for human comfort, as 0 °F is very cold and 100 °F is very hot. Many places on earth which humans inhabit fall reasonably well within these extremes the majority of the time, but Felsius does not preserve this advantage of the Fahrenheit scale either.

The title text states that the symbol he chose to represent this unit also is the average of two other symbols. Visually, it is assumed to be a combination of Celsius and Fahrenheit (a C with a crossbar), but it is actually the unrelated symbols for the {{w|Euro sign|euro}} (€) and the Greek lunate {{w|epsilon}} (ϵ). Randall's symbol has a single crossbar, like the Greek lunate epsilon, but the crossbar continues to the left, like the Euro symbol. (In this explanation and the transcript, we have used the mathematical symbol [http://graphemica.com/%E2%8B%B2 U+22F2], which may appear too large or too small depending on the font.)

{|class="wikitable"
!Symbol!!Number of crossbars!!Length of crossbar(s)
|-
||Euro||2||Long
|-
||Epsilon||1||Short
|-
||Felsius||1||Long
|-
||[not used]||2||Short
|}

In doing all this, Randall has fallen into the trap of creating a new temperature scale/standard: see [[927: Standards]].

Randall has also compared Celsius and Fahrenheit scales earlier in [[1643: Degrees]] and in [[526: Converting to Metric]] he tries to give users of the Fahrenheit scale an idea about what a given Celsius temperature would feel like.

This is an example of {{w|Argument_to_moderation|Argument to Moderation}}, also known as the false middle point fallacy.  A famous use of this fallacy is in the Bible, the {{w|Judgment_of_Solomon|Judgment of Solomon}}.  The true mother of a disputed baby is discovered<ref>1 [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/1_kings/3-27.htm Kings 3:27] "...she is the mother thereof."</ref> by proposing the "compromise" of cutting the baby in half. Perhaps Randall has a similar strategy in proposing Felsius, an absurd compromise, in order to somehow discover the "true" temperature scale.


=== Table of Given Conversions & Additional ===
{| class="wikitable"
!°C!!°⋲!!°F!!Note
|-
| style="text-align:right;" |100.0
| style="text-align:right;" |156.0
| style="text-align:right;" |212.0
||Water boils at sea level (1 atmosphere)
|-
| style="text-align:right;" |54.0
| style="text-align:right;" |91.6
| style="text-align:right;" |129.2
||World heat record (per [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highest_temperature_recorded_on_Earth Wikipedia])
|-
| style="text-align:right;" |37.0
| style="text-align:right;" |67.8
| style="text-align:right;" |98.6
||Body temperature (accepted average)
|-
| style="text-align:right;" |22.0
| style="text-align:right;" |46.8
| style="text-align:right;" |71.6
||Room temperature (maximum per [https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=room+temperature American Heritage Dictionary])
|-
| style="text-align:right;" |0.0
| style="text-align:right;" |16.0
| style="text-align:right;" |32.0
||Pure water freezes at sea level (1 atm); 0°C reference
|-
| style="text-align:right;" |−11.4
| style="text-align:right;" |0.0
| style="text-align:right;" |11.4
||0°⋲ reference
|-
| style="text-align:right;" |−17.8
| style="text-align:right;" |−8.9
| style="text-align:right;" |0.0
||0°F reference
|-
| style="text-align:right;" |−21.1
| style="text-align:right;" |−13.5
| style="text-align:right;" |−6.0
||Saturated salt water freezes at sea level (1 atm)[https://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php?id=1722]
|-
| style="text-align:right;" |−40.0
| style="text-align:right;" |−40.0
| style="text-align:right;" |−40.0
||Equivalence point (exactly −40°)
|-
| style="text-align:right;" |−273.2
| style="text-align:right;" |−366.4
| style="text-align:right;" |−459.7
||Absolute zero (exactly −273.15°C or −459.67°F)
|}

<references></references>

==Transcript==
:[A thermometer is shown where the temperature is indicated, with a red column of liquid, to be just above room temperature. This can be seen from the five labels belonging to five lines pointing at the scale. None of these coincide with the 14 ticks on the actual scale for the thermometer. Below the last label is the formula for calculating the temperature on this scale.]
:92°⋲ world heat record
:68°⋲ body temperature
:47°⋲ room temperature
:16°⋲ water freezes
:–9°⋲ 0°F
:°⋲=7×°C/5+16=(7×°F–80)/9

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Since the Celsius vs Fahrenheit debate has proven surprisingly hard to resolve, as a compromise I've started using Felsius (°⋲), the average of the two.


==Implementations==
An implementation of Felsius is available at [http://www.weatherinfelsius.us Weather In Felsius], using a location based on user's IP address and accepting US ZIP codes (permanent dead link).

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Portmanteau]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Compromise]]