Re: GRidlock - How far has RTD gone?

In article <469ceeeb$0$97242$892e7fe2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"Hercule Platini" <ningynongy@xxxxxxx> wrote:

"The Doctor" <doctor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:f73dip$a5$10@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In article <079a93djpkmejnd3j5bnoki7h1vhk47674@xxxxxxx>,
Monsieur Tabernac <mtabernac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

You're against the metric system because computers tend to use it more
than the Imperial system? Why does that offend you so?

32 vs 0 degrees for a starter.


Yeah. I mean, let's think of a really rational scale of measuring
temperature. How about 0 to 100 based on the boiling and freezing points of
one of the commonest substances in the Universe? Nah, too bloody obvious.
How about a scale running from "double my house number" to "my wife's age in
dog years plus her IQ and minus her bra size" based on who knows what? When
did 32 and 212 become rational starting points for ANYTHING?

There are several stories about how Fahrenheit come up with his scale
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit> The one where it was the Rømer
scale (freezing brine at 0, boiling water at 60) times 4 with some tweaks
so the difference between freezing and boiling was 180 degrees (half of a
circle) seems the most likely.

I should mention that per Phase transition the boiling and freezing points
of everything is dependent on atmosphere pressure. Go up high enough and
these points change. Other things can mess up the phase transition. For
example, n the absence of movement under 1 Atm you can get water down to -4
C before it freezes. The Mythbusters demonstrated that is is possible to
heat distilled water above 100 C under 1 Atm without it boiling.
.

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