Metrication

[Poiponen13]

One thing that I would love to see being metricated in the US is the weather. Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit, and Celsius uses decimals, what Fahrenheit does not use so often to indicate temperature values.

[GaryV]

One thing that I would love to see being metricated in the US is the weather. Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit, and Celsius uses decimals, what Fahrenheit does not use so often to indicate temperature values.

Whatchu talkin about Willis?

Fahrenheit uses decimals even when they're not appropriate. Most of us grew up hearing that normal body temperature was 98.6 deg F. When really that's the conversion from 37 deg C carried out to one more significant digit than it should be. Given that 37 was found to be an approximation of the normal range of human body temperature.

[TXtoNJ]

One thing that I would love to see being metricated in the US is the weather. Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit, and Celsius uses decimals, what Fahrenheit does not use so often to indicate temperature values.

Celsius is better, but not for this reason. The better argument is that one degree Celsius is a significant change in temperature, while one degree Fahrenheit is not, and setting the zero point at where water freezes is sensible given the extent that we are governed by the hydrosphere.

[kalvado]

One thing that I would love to see being metricated in the US is the weather. Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit, and Celsius uses decimals, what Fahrenheit does not use so often to indicate temperature values.

Whatchu talkin about Willis?

Fahrenheit uses decimals even when they're not appropriate. Most of us grew up hearing that normal body temperature was 98.6 deg F. When really that's the conversion from 37 deg C carried out to one more significant digit than it should be. Given that 37 was found to be an approximation of the normal range of human body temperature.

It's not 37, it is in fact 37.0
Metric body temperature is measured with decimals, even if that is not articulated. Like when you're getting a hundred bucks in cash from the bank, you're actually getting $100.00

And fun fact - average healthy body temperature decreased over the years. It is believed to be due to better hygiene and lower immune demands. As far as I understand, that may have some interesting implications.

[kalvado]

One thing that I would love to see being metricated in the US is the weather. Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit, and Celsius uses decimals, what Fahrenheit does not use so often to indicate temperature values.

Celsius is better, but not for this reason. The better argument is that one degree Celsius is a significant change in temperature, while one degree Fahrenheit is not, and setting the zero point at where water freezes is sensible given the extent that we are governed by the hydrosphere.

The only reason celsius may be better is that Celsius has more direct relation to Kelvin; in particular exact  Boltzmann constant is a definition base for Kelvin.
Same as speed of light and plank constant are defined for meter and kilogram.

[Poiponen13]

One thing that I would love to see being metricated in the US is the weather. Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit, and Celsius uses decimals, what Fahrenheit does not use so often to indicate temperature values.

Celsius is better, but not for this reason. The better argument is that one degree Celsius is a significant change in temperature, while one degree Fahrenheit is not, and setting the zero point at where water freezes is sensible given the extent that we are governed by the hydrosphere.

The only reason celsius may be better is that Celsius has more direct relation to Kelvin; in particular exact  Boltzmann constant is a definition base for Kelvin.
Same as speed of light and plank constant are defined for meter and kilogram.

Fahrenheit has its own equivalent of Kelvin, called Rankine. And kelvin can get metric prefixes, like kilokelvin (kK) and centikelvin (cK). One decakelvin is 10 K = -263.15 C = -441.67 F, whereas one millikelvin is 0.001 K. Celsius cannot be get prefixes. Kelvin can because its zero is in lowest possible temperature, negative kelvins are impossible.

[kalvado]

One thing that I would love to see being metricated in the US is the weather. Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit, and Celsius uses decimals, what Fahrenheit does not use so often to indicate temperature values.

Celsius is better, but not for this reason. The better argument is that one degree Celsius is a significant change in temperature, while one degree Fahrenheit is not, and setting the zero point at where water freezes is sensible given the extent that we are governed by the hydrosphere.

The only reason celsius may be better is that Celsius has more direct relation to Kelvin; in particular exact  Boltzmann constant is a definition base for Kelvin.
Same as speed of light and plank constant are defined for meter and kilogram.

Fahrenheit has its own equivalent of Kelvin, called Rankine. And kelvin can get metric prefixes, like kilokelvin (kK) and centikelvin (cK). One decakelvin is 10 K = -263.15 C = -441.67 F, whereas one millikelvin is 0.001 K. Celsius cannot be get prefixes. Kelvin can because its zero is in lowest possible temperature, negative kelvins are impossible.

Do you know what metrology is?

[Scott5114]

Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit

This is the wrongest you've ever been, wrong boy. Wrongerina. Wrongerstiltskin.

[SectorZ]

One thing that I would love to see being metricated in the US is the weather. Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit, and Celsius uses decimals, what Fahrenheit does not use so often to indicate temperature values.

[Me looking at my own personal weather station telling me it's 41.2 degrees F at the moment, wondering if I am imagining the decimal staring me in the face]

Pooponen, how would you even know such things? The only reason you may see less decimals used in Fahrenheit is because it's less needed than in Celsius just due to how much space one degree in each system covers.

[algorerhythms]

One thing that I would love to see being metricated in the US is the weather. Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit, and Celsius uses decimals, what Fahrenheit does not use so often to indicate temperature values.

Celsius is better, but not for this reason. The better argument is that one degree Celsius is a significant change in temperature, while one degree Fahrenheit is not, and setting the zero point at where water freezes is sensible given the extent that we are governed by the hydrosphere.

The only reason celsius may be better is that Celsius has more direct relation to Kelvin; in particular exact  Boltzmann constant is a definition base for Kelvin.
Same as speed of light and plank constant are defined for meter and kilogram.

Fahrenheit has its own equivalent of Kelvin, called Rankine. And kelvin can get metric prefixes, like kilokelvin (kK) and centikelvin (cK). One decakelvin is 10 K = -263.15 C = -441.67 F, whereas one millikelvin is 0.001 K. Celsius cannot be get prefixes. Kelvin can because its zero is in lowest possible temperature, negative kelvins are impossible.

Negative temperature is definitely possible, and it's hotter than positive temperature.

[kalvado]

One thing that I would love to see being metricated in the US is the weather. Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit, and Celsius uses decimals, what Fahrenheit does not use so often to indicate temperature values.

Celsius is better, but not for this reason. The better argument is that one degree Celsius is a significant change in temperature, while one degree Fahrenheit is not, and setting the zero point at where water freezes is sensible given the extent that we are governed by the hydrosphere.

The only reason celsius may be better is that Celsius has more direct relation to Kelvin; in particular exact  Boltzmann constant is a definition base for Kelvin.
Same as speed of light and plank constant are defined for meter and kilogram.

Fahrenheit has its own equivalent of Kelvin, called Rankine. And kelvin can get metric prefixes, like kilokelvin (kK) and centikelvin (cK). One decakelvin is 10 K = -263.15 C = -441.67 F, whereas one millikelvin is 0.001 K. Celsius cannot be get prefixes. Kelvin can because its zero is in lowest possible temperature, negative kelvins are impossible.

Negative temperature is definitely possible, and it's hotter than positive temperature.

Of course that is a nice catch wording for undergrad and high school textbooks, of course this is as stupid statement as it gets if not taken with a pound of salt and a volume on fine print

[TXtoNJ]

Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit

This is the wrongest you've ever been, wrong boy. Wrongerina. Wrongerstiltskin.

As someone who uses both regularly, he's right.

[Scott5114]

Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit

This is the wrongest you've ever been, wrong boy. Wrongerina. Wrongerstiltskin.

As someone who uses both regularly, he's right.

wrongista

[US 89]

Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit

This is the wrongest you've ever been, wrong boy. Wrongerina. Wrongerstiltskin.

As someone who uses both regularly, he's right.

As a meteorologist who uses both regularly, he's wrong. Save Celsius for the science that doesn't make it on tv.

[GaryV]

One thing that I would love to see being metricated in the US is the weather. Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit, and Celsius uses decimals, what Fahrenheit does not use so often to indicate temperature values.

Whatchu talkin about Willis?

Fahrenheit uses decimals even when they're not appropriate. Most of us grew up hearing that normal body temperature was 98.6 deg F. When really that's the conversion from 37 deg C carried out to one more significant digit than it should be. Given that 37 was found to be an approximation of the normal range of human body temperature.

It's not 37, it is in fact 37.0
Metric body temperature is measured with decimals, even if that is not articulated. Like when you're getting a hundred bucks in cash from the bank, you're actually getting $100.00

And fun fact - average healthy body temperature decreased over the years. It is believed to be due to better hygiene and lower immune demands. As far as I understand, that may have some interesting implications.

From Wikipedia (yeah, I know)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Reinhold_August_Wunderlich

Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich (4 August 1815, Sulz am Neckar – 25 September 1877, Leipzig) was a German physician, pioneer psychiatrist, and medical professor. He is known for his measurement of mean normal human body temperature of 37 °C (98.6 °F), now known more accurately to be about 36.8 °C (98.2 °F).

[kalvado]

One thing that I would love to see being metricated in the US is the weather. Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit, and Celsius uses decimals, what Fahrenheit does not use so often to indicate temperature values.

Whatchu talkin about Willis?

Fahrenheit uses decimals even when they're not appropriate. Most of us grew up hearing that normal body temperature was 98.6 deg F. When really that's the conversion from 37 deg C carried out to one more significant digit than it should be. Given that 37 was found to be an approximation of the normal range of human body temperature.

It's not 37, it is in fact 37.0
Metric body temperature is measured with decimals, even if that is not articulated. Like when you're getting a hundred bucks in cash from the bank, you're actually getting $100.00

And fun fact - average healthy body temperature decreased over the years. It is believed to be due to better hygiene and lower immune demands. As far as I understand, that may have some interesting implications.

From Wikipedia (yeah, I know)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Reinhold_August_Wunderlich

Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich (4 August 1815, Sulz am Neckar – 25 September 1877, Leipzig) was a German physician, pioneer psychiatrist, and medical professor. He is known for his measurement of mean normal human body temperature of 37 °C (98.6 °F), now known more accurately to be about 36.8 °C (98.2 °F).

I see your wiki and raise you to the original book (1871 translation, though)

[US 89]

Notice how Fahrenheit is the primary scale and Celsius is the extra in parentheses. The way it should be...

[kalvado]

Notice how Fahrenheit is the primary scale and Celsius is the extra in parentheses. The way it should be...

In UK translation. I couldn't find German original

[kphoger]

One thing that I would love to see being metricated in the US is the weather. Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit, and Celsius uses decimals, what Fahrenheit does not use so often to indicate temperature values.

If Celsius uses decimals more often, then that should speak to its inferiority, not its superiority.  A unit that tends to get subdivided is proving itself to be less than ideal as a unit of measurement.

The problem is that each has its advantages.  I don't suppose anyone on here would argue that Fahrenheit has a superior zero-point than Celsius:  it's basically useless to have your frame of reference be one particular brine solution in an 18th-Century European physicist's laboratory.  But Fahrenheit has the advantage of having smaller units without those units being too small to make a meaningful difference.  (I, for example, can tell the difference in room temperature when the thermostat is adjusted by just one degree Fahrenheit.)

Perhaps the best system would be something with a zero-point matching that of Celsius but with smaller units.  Honestly, just shifting the existing Fahrenheit scale by 32 degrees would be worlds better.  Or use the existing Celsius zero-point but shrink the size of a degree in half;  this would make the 100°C equivalent to actual 122°F, which is a decent upper bound to normal summertime temperatures in a lot of the world.

[Poiponen13]

One thing that I would love to see being metricated in the US is the weather. Celsius is superior to Fahrenheit, and Celsius uses decimals, what Fahrenheit does not use so often to indicate temperature values.

If Celsius uses decimals more often, then that should speak to its inferiority, not its superiority.  A unit that tends to get subdivided is proving itself to be less than ideal as a unit of measurement.

The problem is that each has its advantages.  I don't suppose anyone on here would argue that Fahrenheit has a superior zero-point than Celsius:  it's basically useless to have your frame of reference be one particular brine solution in an 18th-Century European physicist's laboratory.  But Fahrenheit has the advantage of having smaller units without those units being too small to make a meaningful difference.  (I, for example, can tell the difference in room temperature when the thermostat is adjusted by just one degree Fahrenheit.)

Perhaps the best system would be something with a zero-point matching that of Celsius but with smaller units.  Honestly, just shifting the existing Fahrenheit scale by 32 degrees would be worlds better.  Or use the existing Celsius zero-point but shrink the size of a degree in half;  this would make the 100°C equivalent to actual 122°F, which is a decent upper bound to normal summertime temperatures in a lot of the world.

I think that all values with decimals, and all 24-hour clock times are "additive" (dropping decimals/minutes rather than rounding them): like if the temperature is 12.9 degrees, it is "12 degrees" despite being rounded to 13. As well as clock time 16:59 means that it is "16".

[jlam]

All countries should move to kilojoules. I think this is needed.

[kphoger]

If Celsius uses decimals more often, then that should speak to its inferiority, not its superiority.  A unit that tends to get subdivided is proving itself to be less than ideal as a unit of measurement.

I think that all values with decimals, and all 24-hour clock times are "additive" (dropping decimals/minutes rather than rounding them): like if the temperature is 12.9 degrees, it is "12 degrees" despite being rounded to 13. As well as clock time 16:59 means that it is "16".

You're only proving my point.

[hotdogPi]

I typically don't see Celsius being subdivided.

[lordsutch]

I typically don't see Celsius being subdivided.

Most digital household and car thermostats I've seen allow for half-degree increments on the Celsius scale, which are approximately 1 degree Fahrenheit, since that's about the threshold of humans' ability to notice temperature differences, although I'm sure there are exceptions.

[7/8]

I typically don't see Celsius being subdivided.

Most digital household and car thermostats I've seen allow for half-degree increments on the Celsius scale, which are approximately 1 degree Fahrenheit, since that's about the threshold of humans' ability to notice temperature differences, although I'm sure there are exceptions.

Yes, my car measures to 0.5 C increments, likely since this is close to 1 F increments.

Perhaps the best system would be something with a zero-point matching that of Celsius but with smaller units.  Honestly, just shifting the existing Fahrenheit scale by 32 degrees would be worlds better.  Or use the existing Celsius zero-point but shrink the size of a degree in half;  this would make the 100°C equivalent to actual 122°F, which is a decent upper bound to normal summertime temperatures in a lot of the world.

This is an interesting idea. I personally find 1 degree C increments sufficient, but I could get used to that system and I know some users are adamant that the smaller Fahrenheit increments are necessary.

I think that all values with decimals, and all 24-hour clock times are "additive" (dropping decimals/minutes rather than rounding them): like if the temperature is 12.9 degrees, it is "12 degrees" despite being rounded to 13. As well as clock time 16:59 means that it is "16".

I know I won't get a real answer, but why?