Fahrenheit Conversion (ºF)

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Fahrenheit

Abbreviation/Symbol:

Unit of:

Temperature

Wordwide use:

The Fahrenheit scale was replaced by the Celsius scale in most countries during the mid to late 20th century, although Fahrenheit remains the official scale of the United States, Cayman Islands and Belize.

Canada retains Fahrenheit as a supplementary scale that can be used alongside Celsius, and in the UK the Fahrenheit scale continues to be used informally, especially in terms of expressing hot weather (although colder weather is generally expressed using Celsius).

Definition:

Fahrenheit is a thermodynamic temperature scale, where the freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit (℉) and the boiling point 212℉ (at standard atmospheric pressure). This puts the boiling and freezing points of water exactly 180 degrees apart. Therefore, a degree on the Fahrenheit scale is 1/180 of the interval between the freezing point and the boiling point of water. Absolute zero is defined as -459.67℉.

A temperature difference of 1℉ is the equivalent of a temperature difference 0.556℃.

Origin:

Proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736). Fahrenheit pioneered the manufacture of thermometers using mercury, and established 0℉ as the stabilized temperature when equal amounts of ice, water, and salt are mixed. He then defined 96℉ as the temperature "when the thermometer is held in the mouth or under the armpit of a living man in good health".

Subsequently, the freezing temperature of water has been redefined as exactly 32℉, and normal human body temperature as 98.6℉.

Common references:

Absolute Zero, -459.67℉

Freezing point of water, 32℉

Warm summer's day in a temperate climate, 72℉

Normal human body temperature, 98.6℉

Boiling point of water at 1 atmosphere, 212℉

Usage context:

The Fahrenheit scale was replaced by the Celsius scale in most countries during the mid to late 20th century, although Fahrenheit remains the official scale of the United States, Cayman Islands and Belize.

Canada retains Fahrenheit as a supplementary scale that can be used alongside Celsius, and in the UK the Fahrenheit scale continues to be used informally, especially in terms of expressing hot weather (although colder weather is generally expressed using Celsius).

Why can you not go below -459.67°F?:

The temperature of -459.67°F, also known as absolute zero, is the lowest possible temperature in the Fahrenheit scale. At this temperature, all molecular motion ceases, and matter reaches its minimum energy state. Absolute zero is a fundamental concept in physics and is equivalent to -273.15°C in the Celsius scale.

In the Fahrenheit scale, each degree is defined as 1/180th of the difference between the freezing and boiling points of water. Therefore, going below -459.67°F would imply going below absolute zero, which is not physically possible. It would mean going beyond the point where molecular motion ceases, which contradicts the fundamental principles of thermodynamics. Thus, -459.67°F represents the lower limit of the Fahrenheit scale, beyond which temperatures cannot be measured.

Is there an absolute Fahrenheit scale?:

On the Fahrenheit scale, the freezing point of water is defined as 32 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) and the boiling point of water is defined as 212 °F, both at standard atmospheric pressure. These reference points were initially based on the freezing and boiling points of a mixture of water, ice, and salt. However, the Fahrenheit scale does not have a fixed reference point that corresponds to absolute zero, which is the point at which all molecular motion ceases.

The Rankine scale is an absolute temperature scale, meaning it starts at absolute zero, which is the lowest possible temperature but using the same degree of difference as Fahrenheit.

To convert between Rankine and Fahrenheit, you can use the following formula: °F = °R - 459.67

This formula subtracts 459.67 from the Rankine temperature to obtain the equivalent Fahrenheit temperature. For example, if you have a temperature of 500 Rankine, you can convert it to Fahrenheit by subtracting 459.67, resulting in a temperature of 40.33 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

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