Temperature - Revision history

Jmdonev: 1 revision imported

2026-06-04T17:17:01Z

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Energy>Jmdonev at 16:52, 27 May 2026

2026-05-27T16:52:51Z

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	[[Category: Translated to Spanish]]		[[Category: Translated to Spanish]]
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Jmdonev: /* Climate change confusion */

2022-12-03T05:18:43Z

Climate change confusion

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	===Climate change confusion===		===Climate change confusion===
	An overwhelming percentage of scientists [[scientific consensus\|agree]] that [[climate change]] is a major issue facing the world.<ref> (2015, Feb. 6) http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/faq-8-1.html as one source on climate change consensus.</ref> Most [[climate]] scientists predict a 1% increase in the average global temperature by the year 2100.<ref> (2015, Feb. 6) www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch10s10-es-1-mean-temperature.html the specific predictions about warming depend greatly on how much carbon dioxide human industry continues to produce.</ref> This number sounds negligible if thinking in Celsius, but a 1% change means the Kelvin scale must be used. Unfortunately, in order to do this calculation, the numbers have to be converted to Kelvin and after doing the proper conversions and calculations an increase by 1% on the '''Kelvin''' scale would actually result in an average global temperature of ~~17.4°C~~ by 2100. This may not seem very high, but an increase of ~~2.9°C~~ is quite [[global warming\|worrying]].		An overwhelming percentage of scientists [[scientific consensus\|agree]] that [[climate change]] is a major issue facing the world.<ref> (2015, Feb. 6) http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/faq-8-1.html as one source on climate change consensus.</ref> Most [[climate]] scientists predict a 1% increase in the average global temperature by the year 2100.<ref> (2015, Feb. 6) www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch10s10-es-1-mean-temperature.html the specific predictions about warming depend greatly on how much carbon dioxide human industry continues to produce.</ref> This number sounds negligible if thinking in Celsius, but a 1% change means the Kelvin scale must be used. Unfortunately, in order to do this calculation, the numbers have to be converted to Kelvin and after doing the proper conversions and calculations an increase by 1% on the '''Kelvin''' scale would actually result in an average global temperature of ~18°C by 2100 (because 291 K is roughly 1% warmer than the current average temperature of the planet, 288 K). This may not seem very high, but an increase of ~3°C is quite [[global warming\|worrying]].

	==For Further Reading==		==For Further Reading==

Jmdonev: 1 revision imported

2021-09-27T00:02:39Z

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energy>Ethan.boechler at 18:52, 18 June 2021

2021-06-18T18:52:53Z

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			[[Category: Translated to Spanish]]
			[[es:Temperatura]]
			[[Category:Translated to French]]
			[[fr:Température]]
	[[File:Thermometer.png\|thumbnail\|400px\|right\|Figure 1: If a thermometer were to stretch across Canada, (from downtown Victoria to St. Johns) Victoria would be room temperature, water would freeze around the BC-AB border and absolute zero would be at the harbor in downtown St. Johns. Bose Einstein Condensates are a few nanokelvin (a few grains of sand) away from the end.<ref>Modified from: By Siim Sepp (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons and By E Pluribus Anthony, transferred to Wikimedia Commons by Kaveh (log), optimized by Andrew pmk. (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons by Jason Donev January 12th, 2015.</ref>]]		[[File:Thermometer.png\|thumbnail\|400px\|right\|Figure 1: If a thermometer were to stretch across Canada, (from downtown Victoria to St. Johns) Victoria would be room temperature, water would freeze around the BC-AB border and absolute zero would be at the harbor in downtown St. Johns. Bose Einstein Condensates are a few nanokelvin (a few grains of sand) away from the end.<ref>Modified from: By Siim Sepp (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons and By E Pluribus Anthony, transferred to Wikimedia Commons by Kaveh (log), optimized by Andrew pmk. (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons by Jason Donev January 12th, 2015.</ref>]]

Jmdonev: 1 revision imported

2018-06-25T14:30:25Z

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Jmdonev at 20:41, 8 June 2018

2018-06-08T20:41:32Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:41, 8 June 2018
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	[[category:371 topics]]		[[category:371 topics]]
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	[[Category:Done ~~2015~~-09-06]]		[[Category:Done 2018-06-15]]
	[[File:Thermometer.png\|thumbnail\|400px\|right\|Figure 1: A thermometer ~~stretching~~ from downtown Victoria to St. Johns. Victoria would be room temperature, water would freeze around the AB~~-BC~~ border and absolute zero would be at the harbor in downtown St. Johns. Bose Einstein Condensates are a few nanokelvin (a few grains of sand) away from the end).<ref>Modified from: By Siim Sepp (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons and By E Pluribus Anthony, transferred to Wikimedia Commons by Kaveh (log), optimized by Andrew pmk. (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons by Jason Donev January 12th, 2015.</ref>]]		[[File:Thermometer.png\|thumbnail\|400px\|right\|Figure 1: If a thermometer were to stretch across Canada, (from downtown Victoria to St. Johns) Victoria would be room temperature, water would freeze around the BC-AB border and absolute zero would be at the harbor in downtown St. Johns. Bose Einstein Condensates are a few nanokelvin (a few grains of sand) away from the end.<ref>Modified from: By Siim Sepp (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons and By E Pluribus Anthony, transferred to Wikimedia Commons by Kaveh (log), optimized by Andrew pmk. (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons by Jason Donev January 12th, 2015.</ref>]]

	<onlyinclude>'''Temperature''' is the reading obtained from a thermometer, which measures how hot or cold a substance is.</onlyinclude> At a microscopic level, temperature describes the average [[kinetic energy]] of molecules within a material or [[system]]. It is a measurable physical property of an object and can be considered with other measurable physical properties such as [[velocity]], [[mass]], and [[density]] - to name a few.		<onlyinclude>'''Temperature''' is the reading obtained from a thermometer, which measures how hot or cold a substance is.</onlyinclude> At a microscopic level, temperature describes the average [[kinetic energy]] of molecules within a material or [[system]]. It is a measurable physical property of an object and can be considered with other measurable physical properties such as [[velocity]], [[mass]], and [[density]] (just to name a few).

	==Measurement==		==Measurement==
	Temperature is typically seen in [[units]] of degrees [[Celsius]] or °C (in some countries the ~~antiquated~~ [[Fahrenheit]] scale is used); however, in the scientific community, temperature is seen in [[SI]] ~~units -~~ [[Kelvin]] or K (notice it's K not °K). Both Kelvin and Celsius scales have their advantages and disadvantages:		Temperature is typically seen in [[units]] of degrees [[Celsius]] or °C (in some countries the [[Fahrenheit]] scale is used); however, in the scientific community, temperature is seen in [[SI]] units—[[Kelvin]] or K (notice it's K not °K). Both Kelvin and Celsius scales have their advantages and disadvantages:

	===Celsius vs Kelvin===		===Celsius vs Kelvin===
	The [[Celsius]] and [[Kelvin]] scales increase by the same increments, meaning that to increase the temperature by 1°C results in the same increase of 1 K. The major difference is that when [[water]] freezes, a Celsius thermometer will read 0°C, and a Kelvin thermometer will read 273.15 K. The scales differ by 273.15. Thus, to convert from °C to K simply add 273; if a thermometer reads 31°C then the temperature in Kelvin is 304K.		The [[Celsius]] and [[Kelvin]] scales increase by the same increments, meaning that to increase the temperature by 1°C results in the same increase of 1 K. The major difference is that when [[water]] freezes, a Celsius thermometer will read 0°C, and a Kelvin thermometer will read 273.15 K. The scales differ by 273.15. Thus, to convert from °C to K simply add 273; if a thermometer reads 31°C then the temperature in Kelvin is 304K.

	Celsius is a much more "user friendly" or intuitive way to measure temperature; at ~~0°C - water~~ freezes, and at ~~100°C - water~~ boils. Celsius makes sense and it's much easier to judge how 25°C might feel than how 298 K would, and to be clear, 298 K would feel fine.		Celsius is a much more "user friendly" or intuitive way to measure temperature; at 0°C—water freezes, and at 100°C—water boils. Celsius makes sense and it's much easier to judge how 25°C might feel than how 298 K would, and to be clear, 298 K would feel fine.

	====Why bother with Kelvin?====		====Why bother with Kelvin?====
	The Kelvin scale happens to be extremely useful (and necessary) when doing scientific calculations and measurements. [[Absolute zero]] is 0 K (converting to Celsius it's -273.15°C) and is the lowest temperature the laws of physics ~~allow - there~~ could never be temperatures below 0 K. In this respect it makes perfect sense to use the Kelvin scale, 0 being the "absolute" lowest and increasing from there. For more information (and a handy calculator) visit the page [[Kelvin]].		The Kelvin scale happens to be extremely useful (and necessary) when doing scientific calculations and measurements. [[Absolute zero]] is 0 K (converting to Celsius it's -273.15°C) and is the lowest temperature the laws of physics allow—there could never be temperatures below 0 K. In this respect it makes perfect sense to use the Kelvin scale, 0 being the "absolute" lowest and increasing from there. For more information (and a handy calculator) visit the page [[Kelvin]].

	==Important misunderstanding==		==Important misunderstanding==
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	===Climate change confusion===		===Climate change confusion===
	An overwhelming percentage of scientists [[consensus\|agree]] that [[climate change]] is a major issue facing the world.<ref> (2015, Feb. 6) http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/faq-8-1.html as one source on climate change consensus.</ref> Most [[climate]] scientists predict a 1% increase in the average global temperature by the year 2100.<ref> (2015, Feb. 6) www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch10s10-es-1-mean-temperature.html the specific predictions about warming depend greatly on how much carbon dioxide human industry continues to produce.</ref> This number sounds negligible if thinking in Celsius, but a 1% change means the Kelvin scale must be used. Unfortunately, in order to do this calculation, the numbers have to be converted to Kelvin and after doing the proper conversions and calculations an increase by 1% on the '''Kelvin''' scale would actually result in an average global temperature of 17.4°C by 2100. This may not seem very high, but an increase of 2.9°C is quite [[global warming\|worrying]].		An overwhelming percentage of scientists [[scientific consensus\|agree]] that [[climate change]] is a major issue facing the world.<ref> (2015, Feb. 6) http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/faq-8-1.html as one source on climate change consensus.</ref> Most [[climate]] scientists predict a 1% increase in the average global temperature by the year 2100.<ref> (2015, Feb. 6) www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch10s10-es-1-mean-temperature.html the specific predictions about warming depend greatly on how much carbon dioxide human industry continues to produce.</ref> This number sounds negligible if thinking in Celsius, but a 1% change means the Kelvin scale must be used. Unfortunately, in order to do this calculation, the numbers have to be converted to Kelvin and after doing the proper conversions and calculations an increase by 1% on the '''Kelvin''' scale would actually result in an average global temperature of 17.4°C by 2100. This may not seem very high, but an increase of 2.9°C is quite [[global warming\|worrying]].

			==For Further Reading==
			*[[Celsius]]
			*[[Kelvin]]
			*[[Fahrenheit]]
			*[[Absolute zero]]
			*Or explore a [[Special:Random\|random page]]

	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}
	[[Category:Uploaded]]		[[Category:Uploaded]]

J.williams: 1 revision imported

2015-09-18T16:50:49Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 16:50, 18 September 2015
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Jhanania at 19:17, 3 September 2015

2015-09-03T19:17:20Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:17, 3 September 2015
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	[[category:371 topics]]		[[category:371 topics]]
	[[category:Lecture 1A a changing planet]]		[[category:Lecture 1A a changing planet]]
	[[Category:Done 2015-06~~-01~~]]		[[Category:Done 2015-09-06]]
	[[File:Thermometer.png\|thumbnail\|400px\|right\|Figure 1: A thermometer stretching from downtown Victoria to St. Johns. Victoria would be room temperature, water would freeze around the AB-BC border and absolute zero would be at the harbor in downtown St. Johns. Bose Einstein Condensates are a few nanokelvin (a few grains of sand) away from the end).<ref>Modified from: By Siim Sepp (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons and By E Pluribus Anthony, transferred to Wikimedia Commons by Kaveh (log), optimized by Andrew pmk. (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons by Jason Donev January 12th, 2015.</ref>]]		[[File:Thermometer.png\|thumbnail\|400px\|right\|Figure 1: A thermometer stretching from downtown Victoria to St. Johns. Victoria would be room temperature, water would freeze around the AB-BC border and absolute zero would be at the harbor in downtown St. Johns. Bose Einstein Condensates are a few nanokelvin (a few grains of sand) away from the end).<ref>Modified from: By Siim Sepp (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons and By E Pluribus Anthony, transferred to Wikimedia Commons by Kaveh (log), optimized by Andrew pmk. (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons by Jason Donev January 12th, 2015.</ref>]]

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	==Measurement==		==Measurement==
	Temperature is typically seen in units of degrees [[Celsius]] or °C (in some countries the antiquated [[Fahrenheit]] scale is used); however, in the scientific community, temperature is seen in [[SI]] units - [[Kelvin]] or K (notice it's K not °K). Both Kelvin and Celsius scales have their advantages and disadvantages:		Temperature is typically seen in [[units]] of degrees [[Celsius]] or °C (in some countries the antiquated [[Fahrenheit]] scale is used); however, in the scientific community, temperature is seen in [[SI]] units - [[Kelvin]] or K (notice it's K not °K). Both Kelvin and Celsius scales have their advantages and disadvantages:

	===Celsius vs Kelvin===		===Celsius vs Kelvin===
	The [[Celsius]] and [[Kelvin]] scales increase by the same increments, meaning that to increase the temperature by 1°C results in the same increase of 1 K. The major difference is that when water freezes, a Celsius thermometer will read 0°C, and a Kelvin thermometer will read 273.15 K. The scales differ by 273.15. Thus, to convert from °C to K simply add 273; if a thermometer reads 31°C then the temperature in Kelvin is 304K.		The [[Celsius]] and [[Kelvin]] scales increase by the same increments, meaning that to increase the temperature by 1°C results in the same increase of 1 K. The major difference is that when [[water]] freezes, a Celsius thermometer will read 0°C, and a Kelvin thermometer will read 273.15 K. The scales differ by 273.15. Thus, to convert from °C to K simply add 273; if a thermometer reads 31°C then the temperature in Kelvin is 304K.

	Celsius is a much more "user friendly" or intuitive way to measure temperature; at 0°C - water freezes, and at 100°C - water boils. Celsius makes sense and it's much easier to judge how 25°C might feel than how 298 K would, and to be clear, 298 K would feel fine.		Celsius is a much more "user friendly" or intuitive way to measure temperature; at 0°C - water freezes, and at 100°C - water boils. Celsius makes sense and it's much easier to judge how 25°C might feel than how 298 K would, and to be clear, 298 K would feel fine.
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	==Important misunderstanding==		==Important misunderstanding==
	Because temperature is a measure of the microscopic energy of [[atom]]s (or [[molecule]]s), the temperature doubles if the microscopic energy doubles. That being said, going from 10°C today to 20°C tomorrow isn't doubling the temperature (even though 20 is twice ten). A scientist would say it's 283 K, and here is where the problem arises: doubling 283 K is 566 K which converts to an extreme 293°C. Thankfully, 293°C would never happen on Earth, but this idea of a proportional change in temperature has led to some climate change confusion.		Because temperature is a measure of the microscopic [[energy]] of [[atom]]s (or [[molecule]]s), the temperature doubles if the microscopic energy doubles. That being said, going from 10°C today to 20°C tomorrow isn't doubling the temperature (even though 20 is twice ten). A scientist would say it's 283 K, and here is where the problem arises: doubling 283 K is 566 K which converts to an extreme 293°C. Thankfully, 293°C would never happen on [[Earth]], but this idea of a proportional change in temperature has led to some climate change confusion.

	===Climate change confusion===		===Climate change confusion===
	An overwhelming percentage of scientists [[consensus\|agree]] that [[climate change]] is a major issue facing the world.<ref> (2015, Feb. 6) http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/faq-8-1.html as one source on climate change consensus.</ref> Most climate scientists predict a 1% increase in the average global temperature by the year 2100.<ref> (2015, Feb. 6) www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch10s10-es-1-mean-temperature.html the specific predictions about warming depend greatly on how much carbon dioxide human industry continues to produce.</ref> This number sounds negligible if thinking in Celsius, but a 1% change means the Kelvin scale must be used. Unfortunately, in order to do this calculation, the numbers have to be converted to Kelvin and after doing the proper conversions and calculations an increase by 1% on the '''Kelvin''' scale would actually result in an average global temperature of 17.4°C by 2100. This may not seem very high, but an increase of 2.9°C is quite [[global warming\|worrying]].		An overwhelming percentage of scientists [[consensus\|agree]] that [[climate change]] is a major issue facing the world.<ref> (2015, Feb. 6) http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/faq-8-1.html as one source on climate change consensus.</ref> Most [[climate]] scientists predict a 1% increase in the average global temperature by the year 2100.<ref> (2015, Feb. 6) www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch10s10-es-1-mean-temperature.html the specific predictions about warming depend greatly on how much carbon dioxide human industry continues to produce.</ref> This number sounds negligible if thinking in Celsius, but a 1% change means the Kelvin scale must be used. Unfortunately, in order to do this calculation, the numbers have to be converted to Kelvin and after doing the proper conversions and calculations an increase by 1% on the '''Kelvin''' scale would actually result in an average global temperature of 17.4°C by 2100. This may not seem very high, but an increase of 2.9°C is quite [[global warming\|worrying]].

	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}
	[[Category:Uploaded]]		[[Category:Uploaded]]

J.williams: 1 revision imported

2015-08-26T21:31:42Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 21:31, 26 August 2015
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