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Fahrenheit temperature scale
Fahrenheit temperature scale , temperature scale in which the temperature difference between two reference temperatures, the melting and boiling points of water, is divided into 180 equal intervals called degrees. The freezing point is taken as 32°F and the boiling point as 212°F. The scale was established by the German-Dutch physicist Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit in 1724. William John Macquorn Rankine used it as the basis of his absolute temperature scale, now called the Rankine temperature scale , in 1859. Although the Fahrenheit scale was formerly used widely in English-speaking countries, many of these countries began changing to the more convenient Celsius temperature scale in the late 1960s and early 1970s; a notable exception is the United States, where the Fahrenheit scale is still in common use together with other English units of measurement. Temperatures on the Fahrenheit scale can be converted to equivalent temperatures on the Celsius scale by first subtracting 32° from the Fahrenheit temperature, then multiplying the result by 5/9 , according to the formula ( F -32) 5/9 = C. |
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"Fahrenheit temperature scale." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Fahrenheit temperature scale." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Fahrenhe.html "Fahrenheit temperature scale." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Fahrenhe.html |
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Fahrenheit scale
Fahrenheit scale A temperature scale in which (by modern definition) the temperature of boiling water is taken as 212 degrees and the temperature of melting ice as 32 degrees. It was invented in 1714 by the German scientist G. D. Fahrenheit (1686–1736), who set the zero at the lowest temperature he knew how to obtain in the laboratory (by mixing ice and common salt) and took his own body temperature as 96°F. The scale is no longer in scientific use. To convert to the Celsius scale the formula is C = 5(F – 32)/9.
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"Fahrenheit scale." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Fahrenheit scale." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-Fahrenheitscale.html "Fahrenheit scale." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-Fahrenheitscale.html |
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Fahrenheit temperature scale
Fahrenheit temperature scale System for measuring temperature based on the freezing point of water (32°F) and the boiling point of water (212°F). The interval between them is divided into 180 equal parts. Although replaced in Britain by Celsius, Fahrenheit is still used in the USA for nonscientific measurements. Fahrenheit is converted to Celsius by subtracting 32 and then dividing by 1.8. See also thermometer
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"Fahrenheit temperature scale." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Fahrenheit temperature scale." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Fahrenheittemperaturescal.html "Fahrenheit temperature scale." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Fahrenheittemperaturescal.html |
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Fahrenheit
Fahr·en·heit / ˈfarənˌhīt/ (abbr.: F) • adj. of or denoting a scale of temperature on which water freezes at 32° and boils at 212° under standard conditions. • n. (also Fahrenheit scale) this scale of temperature. ORIGIN: mid 18th cent.: named after Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), German physicist. |
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"Fahrenheit." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Fahrenheit." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-fahrenheit.html "Fahrenheit." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-fahrenheit.html |
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Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit of or denoting a scale of temperature on which water freezes at 32° and boils at 212° under standard conditions, named (in the mid 18th century) after Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), German physicist.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Fahrenheit." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Fahrenheit." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Fahrenheit.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Fahrenheit." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Fahrenheit.html |
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Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit mercurial thermometer named after its inventor, G. Fahrenheit (1686–1736), German physicist. XVIII.
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T. F. HOAD. "Fahrenheit." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "Fahrenheit." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-Fahrenheit.html T. F. HOAD. "Fahrenheit." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-Fahrenheit.html |
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Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit
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"Fahrenheit." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Fahrenheit." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Fahrenheit.html "Fahrenheit." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Fahrenheit.html |
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