What is the reason for having both celsius and fahrenheit as measurements of temperature? isn't one enough?

Question

What is the reason for having both celsius and fahrenheit as measurements of temperature? isn't one enough?

Answer 1

Because different parts of the world develop different needs and derive different methods for doing things. It's like asking why are there so many languages when English is all you really need =]

Answer 2

Now that Canada's metric (only a few decades ago), I would guess it's for the benefit of the severely conservative, like the Untied States, Saudi Arabia, and me. I learned to cook and sew using the imperial system, and have neither the desire nor necessity to change that.  On the other hand, I have become accustomed to using Celsius for weather and kilometers for driving distances.  I remember the switch from imperial to metric in Canada: my uncles were most suspicious (a commie plot?), and predicted catastrophes without limit.

Answer 3

Different parts of the world are used to Celcius and certain parts Fahrenheit... even though a lot of international places get US weather in Celcius....

Answer 4

Don't forget about the Kelvin scale.  As for the reason we keep all these scales around, I guess it is somewhat cultural.  People think about things in different ways.

A similar problem is the way keys are arranged on keyboards.  There are faster key configurations out there for typing English, but the QWERTY keyboard was designed to prevent jamming on early typewriters.  Thus, it was deliberately inefficient.  People won't get rid of it because learning a different keyboard is a pain, and this arrangement works OK.

Good night!

Answer 5

We Americans reject the metric system unlike most other countries like Bermuda, Britian and europe

EX. we use mph, they use something else

Answer 6

Fahrenheit is mostly used in the usa and celsius is used in the other countries

Answer 7

Fahrenheit was based on the temperature at three points. Zero was set at the coldest temperature Mr Fahreneheit could get using seawater, ice, and chemicals added in his lab. The second point was the armpit body temperature set at 96, conveniently 3 times the value of fresh water freezing and so used as a third reference point.

Turns out that the core body temperature is actually 98.6 Fahrenheit. Recreating the zero point is problematic as well. So we a have a temperature standard that doesn't have easily and readily identifiable reference points.

Celsius uses a more easily verifiable standard using a scale based on freezing of fresh water at sea level for zero and boiling of water at sea level as 100 degrees.

Doesn't really matter which one you use. If its cold you are going to know it. Do you really benefit by knowing its minus 30 out there?

Answer 8

Celcius is the improved version of Fahrenheit.If you want old version you can use it.