Anders Celsius and the fixed points of the Celsius scale
Abstract
In the middle of the 18th century around 30 different temperature scales with various fixed points existed, but only the scales by Fahrenheit, Réaumur and Celsius have survived to the present time. Anders Celsius realized the need for well defined fixed points and he was exceptional in his careful measurements of these temperatures, the freezing and boiling points of water, thus creating a true international temperature scale. His determination of the change in the boiling point with barometric pressure shows a very high degree of accuracy. The development towards modern scientific scales is briefly reviewed up to the resolution of 1990, according to which the Celsius scale is regarded as no longer formally being a true centigrade scale.
- Publication:
-
European Journal of Physics
- Pub Date:
- May 1997
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0143-0807/18/3/007
- Bibcode:
- 1997EJPh...18..169B