3001: Temperature Scales - Revision history

Liv2splain: /* Explanation */ no source, not important for the explanation

2026-04-18T08:51:46Z

‎Explanation: no source, not important for the explanation

FaviFake: /* Explanation */ {{incomplete|Copypasting here from talk, this should maybe be addressed? ~~~~

2026-02-13T20:43:41Z

‎Explanation: {{incomplete|Copypasting here from talk, this should maybe be addressed? ~~~~

2001:4450:812D:4300:D02F:54CE:E1F2:2CE4 at 02:01, 7 December 2025

2025-12-07T02:01:31Z

FaviFake: /* Explanation */

2025-07-27T16:35:36Z

‎Explanation

FaviFake: /* Explanation */

2025-07-27T16:35:28Z

‎Explanation

FaviFake: /* Explanation */

2025-07-27T16:34:46Z

‎Explanation

FaviFake: /* Explanation */

2025-07-27T16:34:18Z

‎Explanation

Show changes

FaviFake: /* Explanation */

2025-07-27T16:33:13Z

‎Explanation

Show changes

2A01:CB15:824D:FF00:5C0F:4AC8:B4CA:8C8E: /* Transcript */ put the labels in quotation marks

2025-07-27T15:05:34Z

‎Transcript: put the labels in quotation marks

172.70.58.129: I think that's better.

2025-05-01T00:47:33Z

I think that's better.

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:51, 18 April 2026
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	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
−	~~{{incomplete\|Copypasting here from talk, this should maybe be addressed? [[User:FaviFake\|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake\|talk]]) 20:43, 13 February 2026 (UTC)~~
−
−	The section discussing how Fahrenheit was invented is almost entirely wrong. Originally 0 was a brine mixture, 30 was water's freezing point, and 90 was the body temperature of a human. This was then adjusted to be 0, 32, and 96, becasue that way everything could be bisections because the reference points were powers of two apart. Water's boiling point being 180°F above its freezing point is a coincidence that was then used to redefine the scale, not the intended set-up.[[Special:Contributions/5.253.205.222\|5.253.205.222]] 22:17, 12 February 2026 (UTC)}}
	Since the invention of the {{w\|thermometer}}, a number of different {{w\|temperature}} scales have been proposed. In modern times, most of the world uses the 1745 {{w\|Celsius}} scale for everyday temperature measurements. A small number of countries (the USA and {{w\|Territories of the United States\|its territories}}, the Bahamas, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Liberia, and Palau) retain the {{w\|Imperial units\|imperial system}} (or the related {{w\|United States customary units\|US customary system}}), which uses the 1724 {{w\|Fahrenheit}} scale. The other widely used temperature scale is the 1848 {{w\|Kelvin}} scale, which uses the same gradations as degrees Celsius but is rooted at {{w\|absolute zero}}, making it both useful in scientific calculations and easy to convert to and from Celsius (which, along with degrees Fahrenheit, is now defined relative to kelvins.) The Kelvin scale has been part of the widely adopted official {{w\|metric system}} since 1954. Even in countries that use Fahrenheit, scientific measurements are usually made in degrees Celsius or kelvins.		Since the invention of the {{w\|thermometer}}, a number of different {{w\|temperature}} scales have been proposed. In modern times, most of the world uses the 1745 {{w\|Celsius}} scale for everyday temperature measurements. A small number of countries (the USA and {{w\|Territories of the United States\|its territories}}, the Bahamas, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Liberia, and Palau) retain the {{w\|Imperial units\|imperial system}} (or the related {{w\|United States customary units\|US customary system}}), which uses the 1724 {{w\|Fahrenheit}} scale. The other widely used temperature scale is the 1848 {{w\|Kelvin}} scale, which uses the same gradations as degrees Celsius but is rooted at {{w\|absolute zero}}, making it both useful in scientific calculations and easy to convert to and from Celsius (which, along with degrees Fahrenheit, is now defined relative to kelvins.) The Kelvin scale has been part of the widely adopted official {{w\|metric system}} since 1954. Even in countries that use Fahrenheit, scientific measurements are usually made in degrees Celsius or kelvins.

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:43, 13 February 2026
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	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
		+	{{incomplete\|Copypasting here from talk, this should maybe be addressed? [[User:FaviFake\|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake\|talk]]) 20:43, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

		+	The section discussing how Fahrenheit was invented is almost entirely wrong. Originally 0 was a brine mixture, 30 was water's freezing point, and 90 was the body temperature of a human. This was then adjusted to be 0, 32, and 96, becasue that way everything could be bisections because the reference points were powers of two apart. Water's boiling point being 180°F above its freezing point is a coincidence that was then used to redefine the scale, not the intended set-up.[[Special:Contributions/5.253.205.222\|5.253.205.222]] 22:17, 12 February 2026 (UTC)}}
	Since the invention of the {{w\|thermometer}}, a number of different {{w\|temperature}} scales have been proposed. In modern times, most of the world uses the 1745 {{w\|Celsius}} scale for everyday temperature measurements. A small number of countries (the USA and {{w\|Territories of the United States\|its territories}}, the Bahamas, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Liberia, and Palau) retain the {{w\|Imperial units\|imperial system}} (or the related {{w\|United States customary units\|US customary system}}), which uses the 1724 {{w\|Fahrenheit}} scale. The other widely used temperature scale is the 1848 {{w\|Kelvin}} scale, which uses the same gradations as degrees Celsius but is rooted at {{w\|absolute zero}}, making it both useful in scientific calculations and easy to convert to and from Celsius (which, along with degrees Fahrenheit, is now defined relative to kelvins.) The Kelvin scale has been part of the widely adopted official {{w\|metric system}} since 1954. Even in countries that use Fahrenheit, scientific measurements are usually made in degrees Celsius or kelvins.		Since the invention of the {{w\|thermometer}}, a number of different {{w\|temperature}} scales have been proposed. In modern times, most of the world uses the 1745 {{w\|Celsius}} scale for everyday temperature measurements. A small number of countries (the USA and {{w\|Territories of the United States\|its territories}}, the Bahamas, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Liberia, and Palau) retain the {{w\|Imperial units\|imperial system}} (or the related {{w\|United States customary units\|US customary system}}), which uses the 1724 {{w\|Fahrenheit}} scale. The other widely used temperature scale is the 1848 {{w\|Kelvin}} scale, which uses the same gradations as degrees Celsius but is rooted at {{w\|absolute zero}}, making it both useful in scientific calculations and easy to convert to and from Celsius (which, along with degrees Fahrenheit, is now defined relative to kelvins.) The Kelvin scale has been part of the widely adopted official {{w\|metric system}} since 1954. Even in countries that use Fahrenheit, scientific measurements are usually made in degrees Celsius or kelvins.

@@ Line 382: / Line 382: @@
 [[Category:Math]]
 [[Category:Physics]]
-[[Category:Science]]
+[[Category:Science]][[Category:Weather]]

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 ! scope="col" | Water freezes
 ! scope="col" | Water boils
-! scope="col" | Randall's Notes
+! scope="col" | Randall's notes
 ! scope="col" | Cursed<br>ness
 ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Explanation

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 ! scope="col" | Water freezes
 ! scope="col" | Water boils
-! scope="col" | Notes
+! scope="col" | Randall's Notes
 ! scope="col" | Cursed<br>ness
 ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Explanation

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 The comic compares these scales, and a number of others, on [[Randall]]'s scale of "cursedness." The joke is highlighting how different the temperature scales are, and how impractical most of them are. All of the listed scales (except Randall's new °X scale defined in the title text) are real, but most are obsolete. [[1643: Degrees]] provides helpful tips for choosing whether to use Celsius or Fahrenheit. See also [[1923: Felsius]].
-{| class= wikitable sortable
+{| class="wikitable sortable"
 ! scope="col" | Unit
 ! scope="col" | Water freezes

@@ Line 199: / Line 199: @@
 :Temperature Scales
-:[A table with five columns, labelled: Unit, Water freezing point, Water boiling point, Notes, and Cursedness. There are eleven rows below the labels.]
+:[A table with five columns, labelled: "Unit", "Water freezing point", "Water boiling point", "Notes", and "Cursedness". There are eleven rows below the labels.]
 :[Row 1:] Celsius, 0, 100, Used in most of the world, 2/10

@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 [[2292: Thermometer]] expresses disdain for this scale.
 |-
-| {{w|Newton scale|Newton}} || 0 || 33-ish || Poorly defined, with reference points like "the hottest water you can hold your hand in" || 7-ish/10 || The famous scientist and mathematician {{w|Isaac Newton}} published this scale in 1701, which was referred to by the °N symbol. Unfortunately, the degrees of temperature specified do not correlate exactly with amounts of {{w|heat}} because his scale is nonlinear. His scale used three fixed-points: 0ºN, the temperature of air when water begins to freeze, 12ºN, the heat of blood in the human body, and 34ºN, rapidly boiling water.<ref>https://www.whipplemuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-whipple-collections/meteorology/early-thermometers-and-temperature-scales</ref> Therefore:
+| {{w|Newton scale|Newton}} || 0 || 33-ish || Poorly defined, with reference points like "the hottest water you can hold your hand in" || 7-ish/10 || The famous scientist and mathematician {{w|Isaac Newton}} published this scale in 1701, which was referred to by the °N symbol. Unfortunately, the degrees of temperature specified do not correlate exactly with amounts of {{w|heat}} because his scale is nonlinear. [https://www.whipplemuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-whipple-collections/meteorology/early-thermometers-and-temperature-scales His scale] used three fixed-points: 0ºN, the temperature of air when water begins to freeze, 12ºN, the heat of blood in the human body, and 34ºN, rapidly boiling water. Therefore:
 <center>Celsius = 37 × Newton / 12 if Newton ≤ 12;<br/>63 × (Newton – 12) / 22 + 37 if Newton > 12</center>
 <center>Newton = 12 × Celsius / 37 if Celsius ≤ 37;<br/>22 × (Celsius – 37) / 63 + 12 if Celsius > 37</center>
-Very few other than Newton ever used this scale, but it did appear on commercial thermometers around 1758.<ref>https://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10413117&wwwflag=&imagepos=43</ref> The cursedness rating (7-ish/10) jokes about the vagueness of the scale's definition.
+Very few other than Newton ever used this scale, but it [https://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10413117&wwwflag=&imagepos=43 did appear] on commercial thermometers around 1758. The cursedness rating (7-ish/10) jokes about the vagueness of the scale's definition.
 |-
 | {{w|Wedgwood scale|Wedgwood}} || –8 || –6.7 || Intended for comparing the melting points of metals, all of which it was very wrong about || 9/10 || Created by the potter {{w|Josiah Wedgwood}} in 1782, the '°W' scale was based on the shrinking of clay when heated above red heat, but was found to be very inconsistent.
@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 The comic has a typo, as the scale is actually called Wedgwood, without the second 'e', but is spelled in the comic as "Wedgewood".
 |-
-| Galen || –4? || 4?? || Runs from –4 (cold) to 4 (hot). 0 is "normal"(?) || 4/–4 || The Greek physician {{w|Galen}} suggested a "neutral" temperature around 180 AD<ref>https://www.loebclassics.com/view/galen-temperaments/2020/pb_LCL546.3.xml</ref> when he was a prominent physician in the {{w|Roman Empire}}. Created by mixing equal parts of boiling water and ice, on either side of this neutral point he described four degrees of heat and four degrees of cold. Assuming his extremes were those points, Galen's scale is also nonlinear:
+| Galen || –4? || 4?? || Runs from –4 (cold) to 4 (hot). 0 is "normal"(?) || 4/–4 || The Greek physician {{w|Galen}} suggested a "neutral" temperature [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/galen-temperaments/2020/pb_LCL546.3.xml around 180 AD] when he was a prominent physician in the {{w|Roman Empire}}. Created by mixing equal parts of boiling water and ice, on either side of this neutral point he described four degrees of heat and four degrees of cold. Assuming his extremes were those points, Galen's scale is also nonlinear:
 <center>Celsius = 22 × (Galen + 4) / 4 if Galen ≤ 0;<br/>78 × Galen / 4 + 22 if Galen > 0</center>
 <center>Galen = 4 × Celsius / 22 – 4 if Celsius ≤ 22;<br/>4 × (Celsius – 22) / 78 if Celsius > 22</center>
 This range from +4 to –4 is humorously used as its rating, implying –100% cursedness. Technically this makes it the least cursed of all the listed scales, but the idea of negative cursedness, and cursedness itself, is not clear. There is no standard modern abbreviation for Galen's scale.
 |-
-| {{w|Celsius#History|''Real'' Celsius}} || 100 || 0 || In Anders Celsius's original 1742 specification, bigger numbers are ''colder''; others later flipped it || 10/0 || Most scales' temperatures can be indefinitely large, but have an absolute minimum temperature. By starting at a maximum value and counting down, this scale is indeed cursed, as nearly all possible temperatures through 1.42×10<sup>32</sup>K, the maximum attainable physical temperature,<ref>https://doi.org/10.4236/jamp.2024.1210198</ref> will be negative on this scale. The cursedness rating (10/0) is a joke on the scale "flipping" the fixed points of modern Celsius. Division by zero is strictly undefined (see [[2295: Garbage Math]]) and may be interpreted in a number of counter-intuitive ways.
+| {{w|Celsius#History|''Real'' Celsius}} || 100 || 0 || In Anders Celsius's original 1742 specification, bigger numbers are ''colder''; others later flipped it || 10/0 || Most scales' temperatures can be indefinitely large, but have an absolute minimum temperature. By starting at a maximum value and counting down, this scale is indeed cursed, as nearly all possible temperatures through 1.42×10<sup>32</sup>K, the [https://doi.org/10.4236/jamp.2024.1210198 maximum attainable physical temperature], will be negative on this scale. The cursedness rating (10/0) is a joke on the scale "flipping" the fixed points of modern Celsius. Division by zero is strictly undefined (see [[2295: Garbage Math]]) and may be interpreted in a number of counter-intuitive ways.
 <center>Celsius = 100 – ''Real'' Celsius</center>
 <center>''Real'' Celsius = 100 – Celsius</center>
@@ Line 76: / Line 76: @@
 There is no standard abbreviation for Dalton's scale. While Dalton temperature is defined for all positive and negative numbers, the nonlinear scale is difficult to work with since the amount of heat represented by a change of one degree Dalton is not constant. Degrees Dalton differ from Celsius ones by as much as 3.9 degrees between 0 and 100, but diverge much more for more extreme temperatures. The rating (53.9/50) is a joke about the unit, as 53.9 Dalton equates to 50 degrees Celsius — i.e., it could be said to be 107.8% (even more than entirely) cursed.
 |-
-| °X || 42.9 || 151.4 || '''Title text:''' "In my new scale, °X, 0 is Earths' {{asic}} record lowest surface temperature, 50 is the global average, and 100 is the record highest, with a linear scale between each point and adjustment every year as needed." || Randall has not stated the cursedness of his new scale. || The {{w|Lowest temperature recorded on Earth|record lowest surface temperature on Earth}} as of 2024 is –89.2°C (–128.6°F), recorded at the {{w|Vostok Station|Vostok Research Station}} in Antarctica on July 21, 1983.<ref>https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-lowest-temperature</ref> The average surface temperature as of 2023, the most recent available, is 14.8°C (58.6°F.)<ref>https://climate.copernicus.eu/climate-indicators/temperature</ref> The {{w|Highest temperature recorded on Earth|record highest temperature}} is 56.7°C (134.1°F), recorded on July 10, 1913 at {{w|Furnace Creek, California|Furnace Creek Ranch}} in Death Valley, California.<ref>https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-highest-temperature</ref>
+| °X || 42.9 || 151.4 || '''Title text:''' "In my new scale, °X, 0 is Earths' {{asic}} record lowest surface temperature, 50 is the global average, and 100 is the record highest, with a linear scale between each point and adjustment every year as needed." || Randall has not stated the cursedness of his new scale. || The {{w|Lowest temperature recorded on Earth|record lowest surface temperature on Earth}} as of 2024 is –89.2°C (–128.6°F), recorded at the {{w|Vostok Station|Vostok Research Station}} in Antarctica on [https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-lowest-temperature July 21, 1983]. The average surface temperature as of 2023, [https://climate.copernicus.eu/climate-indicators/temperature the most recent available], is 14.8°C (58.6°F.) The {{w|Highest temperature recorded on Earth|record highest temperature}} is 56.7°C (134.1°F), [https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-highest-temperature recorded] on July 10, 1913 at {{w|Furnace Creek, California|Furnace Creek Ranch}} in Death Valley, California.
 {{cot|Derivation and graph}}
@@ Line 142: / Line 142: @@
 <center>°X = 0.48 × Celsius + 42.9 if Celsius < 14.8;<br/>or 1.19 × Celsius + 32.4 if Celsius ≥ 14.8.</center>
-Due to average temperature records increasing almost every year as a result of {{w|climate change}},<ref>https://www.space.com/last-12-months-broke-temperature-records</ref> Randall's new °X scale must be re-calibrated each year. While such °X values for everyday temperatures will vary over time, more extreme values like absolute zero or the {{w|Tungsten#Physical properties|melting point of tungsten}} will shift vastly more.
+Due to average temperature records [https://www.space.com/last-12-months-broke-temperature-records increasing almost every year] as a result of {{w|climate change}}, Randall's new °X scale must be re-calibrated each year. While such °X values for everyday temperatures will vary over time, more extreme values like absolute zero or the {{w|Tungsten#Physical properties|melting point of tungsten}} will shift vastly more.
 ("Surface" temperatures are measured 1.5 meters above ground inside a shaded shelter, to accurately represent air temperature, because measurements closer to the ground are usually quite different due to sunlight, {{w|albedo}}, and the thermal capacity of soil.)
@@ Line 159: / Line 159: @@
 ! {{w|Boiling point#Boiling point of water with elevation|Boiling point of water}}
 ! Midrange {{w|human body temperature|human body core temperature}}
-! Recommended {{w|Refrigerator#Temperature zones and ratings|refrigerator temperature}}<ref>https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/food/refrigerator-temperature</ref>
+! [https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/food/refrigerator-temperature Recommended] {{w|Refrigerator#Temperature zones and ratings|refrigerator temperature}}
-! Recommended {{w|Refrigerator#Freezer|freezer temperature}}<ref>https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/freezing-and-food-safety</ref>
+! [https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/freezing-and-food-safety Recommended] {{w|Refrigerator#Freezer|freezer temperature}}
-! Typical warm bath temperature<ref>https://www.kohlerwalkinbath.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-ideal-bath-temperature/</ref>
+! [https://www.kohlerwalkinbath.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-ideal-bath-temperature/ Typical] warm bath temperature
 ! Typical {{w|Coffee#Brewing|hot coffee}} temperature
 |-
@@ Line 212: / Line 212: @@
 :[Row 10:] ''Real'' Celsius, 100, 0, In Anders Celsius's original specification, bigger numbers are ''colder''; others later flipped it, 10/0
 :[Row 11:] Dalton, 0, 100, A nonlinear scale; 0°C and 100°C are 0 and 100 Dalton, but 50°C is 53.9 Dalton, 53.9/50
 {{comic discussion}}