this post was submitted on 06 May 2025
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What the fuck is a Fahrenheit? (feddit.org)
submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Sigh.

There is no temperature scale that is better than the other when it comes to how you define a comfortable temperature.

Doing that is all about what you are used to.

Arguing about weather to not the waether is hot/cold outside at 23 is just a matter of what the numbers mean to you.

Looking at science, C is better than F, simply because C uses are simpler definition, K is even better since it starts ar absolute zero.

K is however a more annoying scale to use for normal/human temps.

The C/F debate is just damn annoying at this point, neither side will be able to convince the orher that they are right.

Just learn a few basic points on the scale in the other scale.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

K is however a more annoying scale to use for normal/human temps

C is just K with zero set at “it feels moderately cold.”

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The definition of C has nothing to do with feelings.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Yes it does.

Fahrenheit decided that we should use a scale based on what humans feel like is the full range of sensible temperatures, with that range set to 0 through 100.

Celsius decided that we should use a scale based on what liquid water feels like is the full range of sensible temperatures, with that range set to 0 through 100.

Kelvin decided that we should use a scale based on what atoms feel like is the the full range of sensible temperatures, with that range set to 0 through NaN (exception thrown).

So, chemists the world over like to use one of a couple of different scales depending on whether they are primarily concerned with the world defined by water, or the world defined by atoms, because it's convenient to use scales that are generally aligned with the feelings and behaviors of the entities you are concerned with.

And then sometimes humans come into the room, and say hey those are cool but also I'd like to use a scale that is generally aligned with the feelings and behaviors of humans, and for some reason everyone in this thread falls down on the ground and starts screaming and wailing, saying they are wrong and stupid for wanting to do that.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Kelvin decided that we should use a scale based on what atoms feel like is the the full range of sensible temperatures, with that range set to 0 through NaN (exception thrown).

There's actually a theoretical maximum temperature.

The mathematically perfect scale goes from zero to one T~P~.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Celsius has nothing to do with feeling.

Celius simply set two logical endpoint of the scale, 0 when water freezes into ice and 100 when it boils into steam.

It has nothing to do with feeling.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Do you know how Fahrenheit arrived at the two points of his scale? It was not because he conducted experiments upon his feelings.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Interesting, in my last two comments, I have not mentioned Fahrenheit, I have simply said that Celsius did not build his scale based on feelings.

I refrained from bringing up F because as I tried to explain in my initial comment on this post, it doesn't matter, neither of us will ever change our minds that the temperature scale we grew up with is not the best.

This argument about weather one temperature scale is better than the other for day to day use is stupid, I use C, you use F, lets leave it at that.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

K is however a more annoying scale to use for normal/human temps.

I just want you to ponder on that statement for a bit

Now imagine that you live on a planet where everyone outside your country uses Kelvin and swears it is normal

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That is fair, but we don't live on a planet like that.

So my argument stands for this planet.

However, lets look a bit closer at a world like that and it would be used.

In daily life I doubt that people would say:

Take it slow now, it is slippery, the temp just dropped to two hundred and seventy three point fifteen degrees out!

People would probably say something like:

Take it slow now, it is slippery, the temp just dropped to freezing!

Or during the summer, peeps would not say:

Perfect weather, two hundred and ninety six degrees, slow breeze and scattered clouds!

They would probably shorten it to:

Perfect weather, ninety six degrees, slow breeze and scattered clouds