# Does the limited range in Celsius temps seem bizarre to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 2, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773 "2012-12-02T18:27:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/101 "2012-12-05T11:19:19Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Even worse, there is a perfectly good word for a thousand million, derivatives of which are used in many European countries. > > [MILLIARD Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/milliard) And one thousand milliards is one billion. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/102 "2012-12-05T13:13:24Z")
!lla ta esnes yna ekam srehto eht fo enoN .elsileD si elacs erutarepmet lacigol ylno eht taht ,tsael ta em ot ,suoivbo smees tI ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/103 "2012-12-05T14:07:58Z")
For temperature, it’s just a matter of whatever you are accustomed to. For measurements used in most folks’ daily lives, such as distance and weight, the SI system is one hell of a lot easier for calculations, but temperature is the odd man out, for C is the old SI standard (K is the present standard), and it is no more and no less easy to use than F when making decisions such as what to wear or what to set the oven at. I grew up during Canada’s transition in measuring systems. When I was a kid, I thougt in F, but as an adult I took up skiing, so now in the winter I think in C whereas I still think in F during the summer or when baking. Since I live in Northern Ontario (too far to wave now that you’re out on the coast, Mona Lisa Simpson) where communities are far from each other, I tend to think of driving distances in hours. How far is it from here to the provincial capital? 17 hours by road – who the hell knows how many miles or kilometers it is. It just comes down to what you are used to and what you find most practical, and when it comes to temperature measurements, neither F nor C is more practical than the other on a daily basis for most folks. ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/104 "2012-12-05T14:17:56Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > beer is sold as a pint in a pub, 500ml in a shop Don’t forget that in the UK, a pint is 20 ounces, whereas in the USA and Canada, it’s 16 ounces. I really struggle to remember that when I’m using my pint measuring cup for cooking, if it’s full it’s more than two cups. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/105 "2012-12-05T14:22:19Z")
One nice thing about SI is that aside from the USA, Liberia and Myanmar, the world uses SI, so it there is no difficulty in figuring out what a measurement in another country is. I read the weather on the BBC, and I grok it. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/106 "2012-12-05T14:31:19Z")
I prefer kelvins. Why hang out in a 72 degree F house when 345 K sounds so much more cozy? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/107 "2012-12-05T15:11:35Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > I prefer kelvins. Why hang out in a 72 degree F house when 345 K sounds so much more cozy? 345K would be very cosy indeed. 72ºF is about 22ºC, or 295K. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/108 "2012-12-05T15:12:22Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > I prefer kelvins. Why hang out in a 72 degree F house when 345 K sounds so much more cozy? 345 K? Sounds more deadly than cozy to me, but hey, I’m from the Great White North. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/109 "2012-12-05T16:13:54Z")
> [@Dunkelheit](#): > > Don’t forget that in the UK, a pint is 20 ounces, whereas in the USA and Canada, it’s 16 ounces. I really struggle to remember that when I’m using my pint measuring cup for cooking, if it’s full it’s more than two cups. The ounces themselves are also different - US fluid ounces are about 4% larger than Imperial. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/110 "2012-12-05T16:37:08Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > The ounces themselves are also different - US fluid ounces are about 4% larger than Imperial. The original SUPERSIZE ME! ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/111 "2012-12-06T06:45:55Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > 345 K sounds so much more cozy? Sissy. I prefer my sauna between 355-360K ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/112 "2012-12-06T07:20:23Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Even worse, there is a perfectly good word for a thousand million, derivatives of which are used in many European countries. > > [MILLIARD Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/milliard) Let’s stop you right there. [Long-scale-vs-short-scale](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales) is a very different argument. If we go metric, all those books that say ‘inches’ still mean the same thing. If we switch to long scale, which ‘billion’ we’re using becomes a tangled mess. Feel free instead to argue that we should use periods to separate thousands and commas to separate decimals. That wouldn’t be anywhere near as confusing as screwing with the terminology for orders of magnitude. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/113 "2012-12-06T09:49:08Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > Let’s stop you right there. [Long-scale-vs-short-scale](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales) is a very different argument. If we go metric, all those books that say ‘inches’ still mean the same thing. If we switch to long scale, which ‘billion’ we’re using becomes a tangled mess. Feel free instead to argue that we should use periods to separate thousands and commas to separate decimals. That wouldn’t be anywhere near as confusing as screwing with the terminology for orders of magnitude. I wasn’t claiming anything should be changed. If you read up, I said that personally I just avoid the word due to the possible confusion. It wasn’t even me that brought it up originally. It was just part of someone else’s list about confusions between countries. In other words, chill out. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/114 "2012-12-06T14:10:01Z")
Let’s see how I, who should know better, came up with 345 K = 72 F. Oh, hell, maybe we’d better not. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/115 "2012-12-06T14:26:11Z")
Only a slip by typing F rather than C. Not the end of the world, only a few tropical regions melted away. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/116 "2012-12-06T15:33:35Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > I wasn’t claiming anything should be changed. If you read up, I said that personally I just avoid the word due to the possible confusion. > > It wasn’t even me that brought it up originally. It was just part of someone else’s list about confusions between countries. > > In other words, chill out. Okay. Chilling. Whew. ---
**Author:** ![yohan\_go](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yohan_go/32/3620_2.png) [@yohan\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yohan_go)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/117 "2012-12-06T15:57:57Z")
As a citizen of a country where we have full metric system for more than five generations (most of Central Europe)), I found it strangely annoying, that bread loafs are not sold by centimeters, roads are not universally exactly 10 meters wide and that chickens don’t always lay 100 mg eggs. However we still do use horsepowers and calories in real common language, although in written specifications you can usually also find their metric (or whatever) counterparts. ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/118 "2012-12-06T19:55:21Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > The ounces themselves are also different - US fluid ounces are about 4% larger than Imperial. Oh bloody hell. That’s going to throw everything off. No wonder they cook by weight instead of volume. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/119 "2012-12-06T20:00:36Z")
> [@yohan\_go](#): > > As a citizen of a country where we have full metric system for more than five generations (most of Central Europe)), I found it strangely annoying, that bread loafs are not sold by centimeters, roads are not universally exactly 10 meters wide and that chickens don’t always lay 100 mg eggs. > > However we still do use horsepowers and calories in real common language, although in written specifications you can usually also find their metric (or whatever) counterparts. 100 mg? That must be a really small egg (a few mm in diameter)! ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773/120 "2012-12-06T20:17:31Z")
I don’t think switching between scales would be that hard. I’m sure there would be lack of familiarity, but if someone were to quit Fahrenheit (geez, it’s even hard to spell), one could adjust to Celsius quickly enough. I’m American so I’m used to F, but I got a nifty device for my shower that reports the water temperature in C. I’m perfectly comfortable knowing that I like my showers between 35C and 39C. I don’t even know how that relates to F, but it isn’t a problem because it is a self contained example. 35C? Okay, shower is ready to enter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-limited-range-in-celsius-temps-seem-bizarre-to-you/642773.md?page=7)