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The term
degree is used in several scales of
temperatureTemperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
. The symbol
° is usually used, followed by the initial letter of the unit, for example “°C” for degree(s) Celsius. A degree can be defined as a set change in temperature measured against a given scale, for example, one degree celsius is one hundredth of the temperature change between water melting and water boiling.
Scales of temperature measured in degrees
Common scales of temperature measured in degrees:
- Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
(°C)
- Kelvin
The kelvin is a unit of measurement for temperature. It is one of the seven base units in the International System of Units and is assigned the unit symbol K. The Kelvin scale is an absolute, thermodynamic temperature scale using as its null point absolute zero, the temperature at which all...
(K), which uses the Celsius scale, adjusted so that 0 kelvins is equal to absolute zeroAbsolute zero is the theoretical temperature at which entropy reaches its minimum value. The laws of thermodynamics state that absolute zero cannot be reached using only thermodynamic means....
.
- Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees...
(°F)
- Rankine (°R or °Ra), which uses the Fahrenheit scale, adjusted so that 0 degrees Rankine is equal to absolute zero
Absolute zero is the theoretical temperature at which entropy reaches its minimum value. The laws of thermodynamics state that absolute zero cannot be reached using only thermodynamic means....
.
Other scales of temperature:
- Delisle
The Delisle scale is a temperature scale invented in 1732 by the French astronomer Joseph-Nicolas Delisle . Delisle was the author of Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire et aux progrès de l'Astronomie, de la Géographie et de la Physique .He had been invited to Russia by Peter the Great...
(°De)
- Newton
The Newton scale is a temperature scale devised by Isaac Newton around 1700. Applying his mind to the problem of heat, he elaborated a first qualitative temperature scale, comprising about twenty reference points ranging from "cold air in winter" to "glowing coals in the kitchen fire". This...
(°N)
- Réaumur (°R)
- Rømer
Rømer is a temperature scale named after the Danish astronomer Ole Christensen Rømer, who proposed it in 1701.In this scale, the zero was initially set using freezing brine. The boiling point of water was defined as 60 degrees...
(°Rø)
Kelvin
The degree
KelvinThe kelvin is a unit of measurement for temperature. It is one of the seven base units in the International System of Units and is assigned the unit symbol K. The Kelvin scale is an absolute, thermodynamic temperature scale using as its null point absolute zero, the temperature at which all...
(°K) is a former name for the
SISi, si, or SI may refer to :- Measurement, mathematics and science :* International System of Units , the modern international standard version of the metric system...
unit of temperature on the
thermodynamic (absolute) temperature scaleThermodynamic temperature is the absolute measure of temperature and is one of the principal parameters of thermodynamics. Thermodynamic temperature is an "absolute" scale because it is the measure of the fundamental property underlying temperature: its null or zero point, absolute zero, is the...
. Since 1967 it has been known simply as the
kelvinThe kelvin is a unit of measurement for temperature. It is one of the seven base units in the International System of Units and is assigned the unit symbol K. The Kelvin scale is an absolute, thermodynamic temperature scale using as its null point absolute zero, the temperature at which all...
, with symbol K. Degree absolute (°A) is obsolete terminology, often referring specifically to the kelvin but sometimes the degree Rankine as well.
Comparisons
- Boiling point of water: 100.0 °C / 212.0 °F
- Melting point of ice: 0.0 °C / 32.0 °F
- Typical human body temperature: 37.0 °C / 98.6 °F
- Room temperature: the 20 - 25 °C / 68 - 77 °F
(source)
See also
- Comparison of temperature scales
- Degree sign
- International System of Units
The International System of Units is the modern form of the metric system and is generally a system of units of measurement devised around seven base units and the convenience of the number ten. The older metric system included several groups of units...