C over F in all four seasons
December 6th, 2005 | by jg3 |One old friend and I have often discussed the relative merits of expressing ambient temperature using the Farenheit or Celsius scales. I am of the opinion that Celsius is the most apropriate scale, with gradations more suited to the human sensitivities. She enjoys the specificity available with Farenheit.
Today while reading about home HVAC thermostats, I ran accross this interesting point:
According to researchers, the key to comfort is to maintain room temperatures within a 2-degrees F swing. Within that “comfort window” range, people don’t notice variations in temperature.
I am certainly interested in better substantiation than “according to researchers,” but the fact that a celsius degree, as you will learn in reading the above-linked Wikipedia articles, is 5/9 that of a Celsius degree supports my claim that people notice variations in temperature approximately equal to one Celsius degree or 10/9 Farenheit degrees. Additionally in the Wikipedia article on the origin of the Farenheit scale there is at least one theory that indicates that the physicist who invented it pulled it right out of his anus … his pigs’ ani, to be exact. That point, I believe, speaks for itself.
As I write this, my computer informs me that in the area around the Dulles airport it is about 1°C. Just so you know.
Oh, and I will certainly yeild that Celsius 233 is far less catchy than Farenheit 451.
Filed under: House, Musings
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