What is the Celsius Scale?
The Celsius scale, also known as the centigrade scale, is a temperature scale based on 0o for the freezing point of water and 100o for the boiling point of water. This scale was first introduced by (and is named after) the Swedish physicist, astronomer, and engineer Anders Celsius. Initially, the celsius scale used 0o in order to denote the boiling point of water and 100o in order to denote freezing point of water. These values were later inverted to 0o for the freezing point of water and 100o for the boiling point of water. This form of the celsius scale gained widespread use.
Celsius temperatures obey a system of relative scale or interval, rather than an absolute system of scale or ratio. Types of ratio scales include the ones used for calculating distance or weight. For example, when the mass is doubled(say from 10 kg to 20 kg), it is usually accompanied by an increase in volume, which accounts for twice the amount of matter. The increase in the amount of matter from 10 kg to 20 kg is the same as the increase in the amount of matter from 50 kg to 60 kg. However, it is important to note that the Celsius scale doesn’t work with heat energy in this manner. The disparity between 10 oC and 20 oC and that between 20 oC and 30 oC is 10 degrees because a temperature of 20 oC does not have two times the heat energy exerted by a temperature of 10 oC.
The Modern Celsius Scale
The modern Celsius scale is known to be based on the triple point of the Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water, and also on the concept of absolute zero. This implies that neither the boiling point of water nor the melting point of water defines the modern celsius scale. It can be noted that the differences that arise between the formal definition of the celsius scale and the common definition of the celsius scale can be considered insignificant when it comes to practical settings. It can also be noted that there exists only a difference of 16.1 millikelvins between the modern scales calculation of the boiling point of water when compared to the original scales calculation of the boiling point of water.
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Frequently Asked Questions on the Celsius Scale
What is the Celsius Scale based on?
Celsius is a temperature range in which 0 degrees reflects the freezing point of water, and 100 degrees is the boiling point of water at the normal atmosphere, which is the mean barometric pressure at the mean sea level.
What is the relationship between the Celsius Scale and the Kelvin scale?
The celsius temperature value can be determined by subtracting 273.15 from the Kelvin temperature value.
What is the lowest possible temperature on the Celsius scale?
Absolute zero is the lowest possible temperature value, which corresponds to zero Kelvin. Converting this into celsius, the lowest possible celsius temperature value is -273.15 oC.
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