Re: OT: Rant about degres Celsius (was: introduction)

En réponse à Tristan Alexander McLeay <anstouh@...>:

>
> Is `Celsius' not spelt with an `S'? (I'm assuming the spellings are
> the
> same in every language that uses the Latin alphabet.)
>
Indeed.

>
> Does anyone know why degrees Celsius is such an irregular measurement?
> It's the only measurement capitalised, it's formed from two parts,
> it's
> the part of a limited group of (two) measurements (angle and degrees
> Celsius) that should be written with the symbol attached to it, it's
> obeys different rules in Dutch Grammar... Maybe we should just abandon
> degrees Celsius and convert to kelvin. So everything becomes higher,
> but
> what's wrong with the hectokelvin? After all, air pressure is commonly
> measured in hectopascals.
>
Which just happens to be identical to the millibar used earlier, which is
probably why it caught on. But in France for instance, while the hectopascal
was commonly used still 15 years, it has gradually fallen out of use and we're
using back the good ol' millibar.

As for the strangeness of the degree Celsius, I agree, for the scientific use
(a unit that you cannot multiply or divide is quite useless in science). But
for the layman, it is very evocative. Putting the 0 at melting ice and the 100
at boiling water is probably the best thing it could have done :)) .

Christophe.

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