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Author Topic: What's the temperature?
Baloo
Curmudgeon-in-Chief
Member # 5

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If you live almost everywhere but the U.S., you get the temperature in degrees Celsius. In the U.S., you get them in degrees Fahrenheit. Does it matter? And how did they arrive at these scales in the first place?

Read on, at the Straight Dope.

--Baloo


[ link fixed -TSN ]
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You can't seriously want to ban alcohol. It tastes great, makes women appear more attractive, and makes a person virtually invulnerable to criticism.
--Mayor Quimby
http://members.tripod.com/~Bob_Baloo/index.htm

[This message has been edited by TSN (edited December 17, 1999).]


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Elim Garak
Plain and simple
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To be honest, though, it doesn't make that poor sense to have 0 being water's boiling point. It means less negative numbers! Unless you're a chemist, of course...

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Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")


Registered: Mar 1999  |  IP: Logged
Vacuum robot lady from Spaceballs
astronauts gotta get paid
Member # 239

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Wouldn't that make more negative numbers?
Or, if I actually read this, I would've known that you're talking about the reversed scale. Forget about my stupidity, and have a good night.

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"I've never seen anything this beautiful in the entire galaxy. Alright, give me the bomb" -Ultra Magnus, Fight or Flee

[This message has been edited by Ultra Magnus (edited December 17, 1999).]


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Elim Garak
Plain and simple
Member # 14

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It would only make more negative numbers if you dealt with temperatures in excess of 100 degress Centigrade, on a daily basis. Otherwise, -10 would be 110, 10 would be 90, etc.

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Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")


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Sol System
two dollar pistol
Member # 30

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That's why Kelvin is so handy.

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"The demon was an idea, the demon is awake. Scratch mark left across the surface of your mind. This hour now upon us, the hour has now arrived."
--
Soul Coughing


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AndrewR
Resident Nut-cache
Member # 44

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[gayesque voice] Yes Kelvin *sigh* he DOES come in handy now and then doesn't he [/gayesque voice]

*grin*

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"Its a CLOCK!" - Sisko, "Dramatis Personae" DS9.


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Elim Garak
Plain and simple
Member # 14

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Well, yes, Sol, that's true.

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Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")


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RW
Senior Member
Member # 27

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Sometimes I think Homo habilis was really well off; come to think of it, hot and cold are really all we need. So let's strip and run around in Africa stark naked. It's so much more fun than today's daily life.

Registered: Mar 1999  |  IP: Logged
Baloo
Curmudgeon-in-Chief
Member # 5

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RW, I'll wager you tan about as poorly as I do. Sunburn, on the other hand...

Living naked on the savannah sounds like fun as long as there's plenty of cold beer and sunscreen and insect repellant. Without those three minimums, no thanks.

--Baloo

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I once lost my corkscrew and had to live on food and water for several days
-W.C. Fields
http://members.tripod.com/~Bob_Baloo/index.htm



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PsyLiam
Hungry for you
Member # 73

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Actually, most Brits over the age of 20 are fairly familiar with Fahrenheit too. And most people over 60 would have no idea how to tell the temperature in centigrade. The weather reports normally tell us both the fahrenheit and centigrade figures.

Us young, hip, generation leaders can do both. And we can do inches AND centimeters.

Not kilometres for some reason though. We falter a bit at that.

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"Obesity. Adiposity. Corpulence. Whatever word you use, it represents one thing: being a big fatass."

Geraldo Rivera


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