Editing 2877: Fever
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Created by an SATURDAY NIGHT HYPER-FEVER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
+ | This chart on {{w|fever}} temperatures begins with the normal body temperature range of a febrile (fever-having) patient and progresses to specify treatment for increasingly large temperature ranges, culminating with the most extreme temperature range ever achieved in the universe. | ||
− | After the first two entries in the table | + | After the first two entries in the table the rest refer to the surrounding temperature rather than internal body temperature. Of course if you do not remove your self from the heat source quickly, you would also reach those temperatures (or the vapor/plasma cloud you would turn into at the relevant temperaturs, would reach this temperature...) |
− | [[Randall]] uses the SI related unit {{w|Celsius}} for all entries in the table, giving the temperature in {{w|Fahrenheit}} only for the first entry in the table | + | [[Randall]] uses the SI related unit {{w|Celsius}} for all entries in the table, giving the temperature in {{w|Fahrenheit}} only for the first entry in the table, normal fever temperatures. See the [[#Table of fever temperatures|table]] below for details about all entries with the temperature range also converted to Fahrenheit. |
− | The title text uses the real SI unit {{w|Kelvin}}, and suggests that those with temperatures under 98.6 Kelvin (-173.55 Celsius or -280.39 Fahrenheit) are in a {{w|molecular cloud}} and that they should get near a star to warm them up. 98.6 ''Fahrenheit'' (=37°C) is the average human resting body temperature, explaining why Randall chose this | + | The title text uses the real SI unit {{w|Kelvin}}, and suggests that those with temperatures under 98.6 Kelvin (-173.55 Celsius or -280.39 Fahrenheit) are in a {{w|molecular cloud}} and that they should get near a star to warm them up. 98.6 Kelvin is very cold, and of course 98.6 ''Fahrenheit'' (=37°C) is the average human resting body temperature, explaining why Randall chose this temperature as his last entry. |
− | Taking an everyday situation to its logical extreme is a | + | Taking an everyday situation to its logical extreme is a standard humor trope that xkcd often uses. |
===Table of fever temperatures=== | ===Table of fever temperatures=== | ||
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|+ Treating a Fever | |+ Treating a Fever | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | ! Fever Temperature | + | ! Fever Temperature (Celsius) !! Equivalent Fahrenheit temperature !! Treatment !! Additional notes |
|- | |- | ||
− | | 38-40 | + | | 38-40 || 100-104 || Fluids, rest, normal doctor stuff || Normal fever temperatures. |
"Normal doctor stuff" refers to routine medical consultation at an outpatient clinic or through telemedicine. | "Normal doctor stuff" refers to routine medical consultation at an outpatient clinic or through telemedicine. | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | 40-45 | + | | 40-45 || 104-113 || Hospital, advanced doctor stuff || A severe fever level at which humans might start experiencing brain damage from fever. |
− | "Advanced doctor stuff" | + | "Advanced doctor stuff" referes to hospital care, likely in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). |
|- | |- | ||
− | | 45-100 | + | | 45-100 || 113-212 || Exit that steam cloud immediately || A temperature range that is uncomforable and injurious. (Imagine keeping your hand right above the spout of a steaming kettle.) For the rest of the table, the prescribed treatments presume that the fever temperature is due to one's environment. |
Note that this range maximum is 100 degrees Celsius, the temperature at which water boils. After this point, the water in the body would soon boil, causing quick and painful death. | Note that this range maximum is 100 degrees Celsius, the temperature at which water boils. After this point, the water in the body would soon boil, causing quick and painful death. | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | 100-400 | + | | 100-400 || 212-750 || Stop, drop, and roll || Someone is probably on fire. Stop, drop, and roll is a recommended method for putting out flames on your clothing. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | 400-500 | + | | 400-500 || 750-930 || Return to Earth from Venus ASAP || 464°C (867°F) is {{w|Venus}}ian atmosphere temperature. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | 500-1,500 | + | | 500-1,500 || 930-2,700 || Please climb out of that volcano || {{w|Magma}} is about 700°C (1,292°F). Therefore, if someone is at that temperature, they are probably in lava/magma. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | 1,500-5,000 | + | | 1,500-5,000 || 2,700-9,000 || Turn your tunneling machine around and come back up to the surface || 4,400-6,000°C (7,952-10,832°F) is the estimate internal temperature of the {{w|Earth}}. |
+ | |||
+ | This note references the 2003 movie ''{{w|The Core}}'' (widely considered a contender for "{{w|The Core#Reception|all-time-worst 'science in a movie' winner}}"), at least the 6th comic to do so. Others include: [[673: The Sun]], [[2011: Newton's Trajectories]], [[2074: Airplanes and Spaceships]], [[2765: Escape Speed]], [[2858: Thanksgiving Arguments]]. | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | 5,000-6,000 | + | | 5,000-6,000 || 9,000-10,800 || No, the surface of the '''''Earth''''', not the Sun || 5,500°C (9,932°F) is the approximate temperature of the surface of the {{w|Sun}}. The Sun's {{w|photosphere}} has a temperature between 4,400 and 6,600 K (4,130 and 6,330 °C) (with an effective temperature of 5,772 K (5,499 °C)). |
|- | |- | ||
− | | 6,000-50,000 | + | | 6,000-50,000 || 10,800-90,000 || Wait, that's not the Sun. What star are you visiting? Come back right now. || Surface temperatures of {{w|main sequence|main-sequence}} stars larger than the Sun can go up to 50,000 (Kelvin and degrees Celsius are indistinguishable at this point). Though some stars can be even hotter. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | 50,000-20,000,000 | + | | 50,000-20,000,000 || 90,000-36,000,000 || At least stay on the '''''surface''''' of the star instead of diving down to the core || Core temperatures of main-sequence stars like the Sun are usually around ten million kelvins, while larger and hotter stars can reach up to a hundred million. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | 20,000,000-10,000,000,000 | + | | 20,000,000-10,000,000,000 || 36,000,000-18,000,000,000 || You know, you could've picked a normal star instead of one that's exploding || {{w|Supernova}}e can reach temperatures of billions of degrees for brief periods, with type II supernovae even reaching hundreds of billions of degrees. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | 10,000,000,000 or higher | + | | 10,000,000,000 or higher || 18,000,000,000 or higher || I hope you're enjoying your visit to the Big Bang but you should really come back home immediately || 10<sup>32</sup> °C (or K), the highest physically meaningful temperature, is the estimated temperature at the Planck epoch (10<sup>-43</sup> s) after the {{w|Big Bang}} |
|} | |} | ||