Celsius

Celsius is the standard unit of temperature in the metric system of units. Celsius is split up into degrees, with one degree being 1/100 of the temperature difference between the boiling and freezing points of water. A change by 1 degree Celsius is equal to a change of 1 Kelvin, however the Kelvin scale is offset by +273.15 degrees (0°C = 273.15 K).

Fun facts

The Celsius scale was created by Anders Celsius, who was a Swedish astronomer. Originally, Anders set 0°C to be the boiling point of water, and 100°C to be the freezing point![1] It is likely that the scale was reversed to how it currently exists (0°C as the freezing point) by Daniel Ekström, a manufacturer of scientific instruments.[2]

The Celsius scale is occasionally referred to as Centigrade, because there are 100 degrees in the scale between the boiling point of water, and its freezing point.[3]

Conversions



To learn more about degrees Celsius, check out Rowlett's unit page or UC Davis's Chemistry wiki.

For Further Reading

References

  1. R. Rowlett, UNC Chapel Hill. (2008). How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement [Online]. Available: http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/dictD.html#celsius
  2. Sante. (1997). The Origin of the Celsius Temperature Scale [Online]. Available: http://dwb4.unl.edu/Chem/CHEM869M/CHEM869MLinks/www.santesson.com/engtemp.html
  3. R. Rowlett, UNC Chapel Hill. (2008). How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement [Online]. Available: http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/dictD.html#celsius