…96? How is 96 a point of reference when you are making a scale from scratch?
Comment on AAAAtoms
MargotRobbie@lemm.ee 7 months agoFahrenheit was not an entirely arbitrary choice: it was defined based on two points of reference that could be measured at the time: the freezing temperature of an ammonium chloride brine is used as 0, and the best estimate for the average human body temperature is set at 96.
Over time, as the freezing point and boiling point of water at sea level atmospheric pressure proves to be more accurate reference points, the Fahrenheit scale was adjusted to provide exact conversion to Celsius.
iturnedintoanewt@lemm.ee 7 months ago
MargotRobbie@lemm.ee 7 months ago
I think it’s because 96 is divisible by 3.
Jolteon@lemmy.zip 7 months ago
96 is divisible by 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8
Alaskaball@hexbear.net 7 months ago
ah 7 and 9 are missing because 7 ate 9 and is on the run from the law
photonic_sorcerer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
100 is divisible by 5, so what’s your point?
name_NULL111653@pawb.social 7 months ago
Easier to subdivide a physically measured scale when the reverence is divisible by multiple values to choose from…
rainynight65@feddit.de 7 months ago
Are you telling me they were able to measure those things, but not the boiling and freezing point of water?
Sure, let me just whip up that ammonium chloride mixture and travel somewhere where I can get it close to freezing so I can know the zero reference of that scale. What, did the just carry that NH₄Cl around for convenience?
Fahrenheit was proposed in 1724, Celsius dates back to 1742, so there wasn’t that much time between the two.
MargotRobbie@lemm.ee 7 months ago
Boiling point of water varies based on atmospheric pressure, water boils at a lower temperature high up in the mountains, for example, which could be why the estimated human body temperature is set as a standard, because it is consistent to reproduce as long as there are people around.
The freezing point of water is not affected by atmospheric pressure, however, it is affected by dissolved material in the water. Using a saturate solution of a salt would establish that consistency as well as lower the freezing point to create a bigger temperature range.
Pok@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Does ammonium chloride brine not freeze at different pressures?
MargotRobbie@lemm.ee 7 months ago
A bit of mistake I made there, I should say that the freezing point is relatively unaffected by pressure compared to the boiling point, and the amount of dissolved impurities are going to have a greater effect.
booty@hexbear.net 7 months ago
it’s not arbitrary, it’s based on the uh, the freezing temperature of uh, ammonium chloride! we’re all familiar with how cold that is! and, and, and, uh, the upper end is, uh … they decided on 96. it’s not arbitrary!!! wojak-nooo
Thief_of_Crows@sh.itjust.works 7 months ago
It’s based on how humans feel about heat, which was then translated into ammonium chloride so as not to be arbitrarily based on opinion. Without basing it on a chemical solution, it wouldnt be recreatable.