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Thread: Centigrade !!!

  1. #1
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    Centigrade !!!



    OK, so i'm getting old and grumpy (whereas I in the past only were grumpy)

    Those of you that time and time again refer to ºC as "degrees centigrade", do you know what you actually are saying??

    What does the prefix actually mean? CENTI, as in CENTImetre, CENTIlitre or even the american currency's CENT?
    And where does it actually come from?

    Cent as in centurion gives a clue.
    OK, so centi originates from
    Latin's
    centēsimus which literary translates in to "a hundredth".

    So a Cent, as in currency, is 1/100 of a $, a centilitre 1/100 of a litre and a centimetre 1/100 of a metre...

    So, what do you actually mean when you are telling me that a given temperature is so many degrees CENTIgrade? Say 90 degrees centigrade, do you really mean to tell me that it is within a degree C of freezing water (0.9ºC) ? Or did you mean to tell me that the temperature is ten degrees C from boiling water (90ºC) ???

    But what does the C actually stand for and where does it originate from?

    Just like the F in ºF originates from dear old Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, the esteemed physicist that back in 1724 who, after inspiration from Ole R
    ømer's earlier work, came up with a temperature scale based on a brine solution, an ice/water mixture and human body temperature the C in ºC actually refers to the scientist that "invented" the C temperature scale.

    As body temperatures (and to a lesser extent brine solution's freezing points) varies, the renowned astronomer Anders Celsius decided that a scale based on only two points that also didn't vary much would be better than the ºF scale and therefore came up with his system based on the temperature when water freezes and the temperature of when water at sea level boils.
    His original scale that had boiling water as 0ºC and freezing water as 100ºC, this was later "reversed" by another famous scientist, a botanist by the name of Carl Linnaeus (nowadays better known as Carl von Linne') which is how we now are more familiar with this temperature scale.

    So ºC is degrees CELSIUS, 100ºC being the temperature of boiling water and 0ºC is the temperature of freezing water.
    (and yes, I do know that the definitions has changed slightly after the developments of modern, more accurate, thermometers but let's KISS)

    And lastly, don't be surprised if I assume you know what you are talking about when you tell me something is 99 degrees CENTIgrade and my reply is something along the lines of "fu** that's cold" (99 centigrade = 0.99ºC = within a degree Celsius of freezing water)


    [ rant mode OFF ]







  2. #2
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    Re: Centigrade !!!

    Hi Viking.
    I would hate to catch you on a bad day.

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    Re: Centigrade !!!

    All this talk about C and I just can't do the symbol easily on my laptop - I tried the old ones ALT + 248 and the 1079 or something but it aint working on this laptop. Could you more experiences ones help me with the degrees symbol?

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    Re: Centigrade !!!

    Viking, rainy day with thunderstorms in the UK? Some lecture perhaps to pass the time http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celsius
    http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_did_...sius_come_from
    http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/01...centigrade.htm
    Let us know your conclusions mate
    It's better to keep your mouth shut and give the impression that you're stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.

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    Re: Centigrade !!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Tesla View Post
    All this talk about C and I just can't do the symbol easily on my laptop - I tried the old ones ALT + 248 and the 1079 or something but it aint working on this laptop. Could you more experiences ones help me with the degrees symbol?
    Hi Tesla

    If you are using MS Word, go to the 'Insert' tab, mouse across to 'Symbol' and look on the 'Latin-1 Supplement' The degree symbol is there.

  6. #6
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    Re: Centigrade !!!

    °C°C°C°C°C Thanks Frank I got it. And I have to do away with the ms word and office as it is an old version and I am seriously thinking of switching to open office.

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    Re: Centigrade !!!

    Peter,
    I'm in UK, of course it will be rainy...

    But you have to be selective with what websites you learn from, yes Mr Celsius' surname stems from a miss translation, that is well known, but that misstake was done by his forefathers not by later generations, his family name at birth was Celsius. ( For more information )

    Further more, who can trust wikipedia with their "multiple contributions" system?

    You thought I would go mellow just because I had another night's sleep?
    Sorry, the older I get and the more I learn the grumpier I get.


    @ Tesla,
    The best option?
    Open office on a Mac.


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    Re: Centigrade !!!

    Mr. ViKing
    1am through with Mac (still sore about loosing my i4) & stuff MS too. I wrote this on a droid & are looking for A symbols app now.
    Not to sure about centigrades, butall good with celeius or °C there didn't need a symbols app after all

  9. #9
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    Brian_UK is offline Moderator I am starting to push the Mods: of RE Site Moderator : and general nice guy
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    Re: Centigrade !!!

    I do so enjoy a good quality pedant. Those that just play with the idea do not interest me at all.

    Thank you Viking for the information, it is now noted and filed under, damn, can't think where to put it.
    Brian - Newton Abbot, Devon, UK
    Retired March 2015

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    Re: Centigrade !!!

    Thank you Brian,

    Personally I blame the schools.



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