Re: °K to °C conversion: hardware or software?


John Woodgate wrote:
> I read in sci.electronics.design that John Devereux
> <jdREMOVE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote (in
> <8764r5c1f4.fsf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>) about 'Re: °K to °C
> conversion: hardware or software?', on Sun, 6 Nov 2005:
>
> >I still seems backwards to me.
>
> I sympathise, without agreeing.
>
> >Kelvin is special because it is zero-based, such that Kelvins *are*
> >units. You can, for example, take the ratio of two Kelvin temperatures.
>
> You are confusing the scale and the unit still. I don't find it easy to
> explain. The kelvin is certainly a unit. The ratio of two temperature
> differences is potentially just as meaningful, in an appropriate
> context, as the ratio of two Kelvin temperatures.
>
> >So I don't see the distinction between a scale and a unit in this case.
> >The other temperature "scales" are not zero based, so are always
> >expressed relative to a base temperature, e.g. that of triple point of
> >water.
>
> I don't know of any scale based on that, but that's a side issue.
>
> You can look at the matter like this. Any temperature difference can be
> expressed in kelvins. But a temperature difference from absolute zero is
> distinguished by having the ° sign included.
> --
> Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
> If everything has been designed, a god designed evolution by natural selection.
> http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

OK but I've certainly never seen or heard of Celsius without the
'degrees' before. Even when talking about temperature differenials its
always been degrees Celsius. But I have seen Kelvins without degrees.

Wikipedia seems to refer to Celsius as "degree Celsius":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celsius

I don't think Celsius alone, without the 'degree' is a unit. But there
is a difference between degrees Celsius and Celsius degrees which
unfortunately has the same SI notation. See:

http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/whys/tempconv.htm

.

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