Converting Between Temperature Scales (Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin)
Summary
TLDRProfessor Dave's tutorial on temperature conversions covers the three main scales: Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin. He explains the context and reference points for each, and provides equations for conversions between them. The video demonstrates how to determine which location is hotter by converting temperatures and highlights the scientific importance of Kelvin as the SI unit, emphasizing its absolute nature and its relation to Celsius.
Takeaways
- 🌡️ Temperature is a significant aspect of human experience and can be a conversation starter.
- 📏 There are three commonly used temperature scales: Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin.
- 🇺🇸 Fahrenheit is primarily used in the United States and its territories.
- 🌍 The rest of the world predominantly uses Celsius for temperature measurement.
- 🔬 The scientific community often uses Kelvin for calculations as it is the SI unit for temperature.
- 🔄 Conversion between temperature units is necessary for various purposes, such as comparing temperatures or performing scientific calculations.
- ❄️ Celsius sets the freezing point of water at 0 degrees and the boiling point at 100 degrees.
- 🔥 Fahrenheit sets the freezing point of pure water at 32 degrees and the boiling point at 212 degrees.
- 🔢 The conversion rate between Fahrenheit and Celsius is 9/5 for the temperature rise, with a 32-degree offset.
- 🌡️ An example given is comparing the temperature in Los Angeles (95°F) and Rome (32°C), illustrating the conversion process.
- ⚛️ Kelvin is an absolute temperature scale where 0 K is absolute zero, the lowest possible temperature.
- 🔄 The conversion between Celsius and Kelvin is direct, with each degree Celsius equaling one Kelvin.
- 📚 The script encourages viewers to subscribe for more tutorials and support the content creator.
Q & A
What are the three commonly used temperature scales?
-The three commonly used temperature scales are Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin.
In which country is Fahrenheit used as the primary temperature scale?
-Fahrenheit is used primarily in the United States and a few of its territories.
What is the scientific community's preferred temperature scale for calculations?
-The scientific community typically uses Kelvin for calculations as it is the SI unit for temperature.
Why might someone need to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius?
-One might need to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius to compare temperatures between different regions, such as determining whether it was hotter in California or Italy on a given day.
How does the Celsius scale define the freezing and boiling points of water?
-In the Celsius scale, the freezing point of pure water is set at 0 degrees, and the boiling point at 100 degrees.
What are the reference points for the Fahrenheit scale in terms of water's freezing and boiling points?
-In the Fahrenheit scale, the freezing point of pure water is 32 degrees, and the boiling point is 212 degrees.
What is the relationship between the rate of temperature change in Fahrenheit and Celsius?
-Fahrenheit temperatures climb at a rate of 9/5 that of Celsius temperatures.
What is the significance of absolute zero in the context of the Kelvin scale?
-Absolute zero, which is 0 Kelvin, represents the lowest possible temperature and is the basis for the absolute temperature scale.
How is the Kelvin scale related to the Celsius scale?
-The Kelvin scale is derived from the Celsius scale, with each degree Celsius being equal to 1 Kelvin.
Why is it not possible to have temperatures below zero on the Kelvin scale?
-It is not possible to have temperatures below zero on the Kelvin scale because it is an absolute temperature scale, and negative values do not make sense when discussing heat energy.
How can you convert a temperature from Celsius to Kelvin?
-To convert a temperature from Celsius to Kelvin, you can simply add 273.15 to the Celsius temperature.
What is the temperature in Kelvin for a day that is 95 degrees Fahrenheit in Los Angeles?
-A temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit in Los Angeles would be approximately 308 Kelvin.
Outlines
🌡️ Temperature Conversion Basics
Professor Dave introduces the concept of temperature conversions, emphasizing the importance of understanding different temperature scales in daily life and scientific calculations. He explains that while most people are familiar with only one scale, there are three main scales: Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin. The United States primarily uses Fahrenheit, the rest of the world uses Celsius, and the scientific community often uses Kelvin for calculations. The professor outlines the reference values for each scale, highlighting the freezing and boiling points of water as the basis for Celsius and Fahrenheit. He also introduces the conversion equations between Fahrenheit and Celsius, noting the 9/5 ratio and the 32-degree difference in their zero points. The summary includes an example of comparing temperatures in Los Angeles and Rome to determine which is hotter, demonstrating the application of the conversion equations.
🔢 Understanding Kelvin and Absolute Zero
This paragraph delves into the Kelvin scale, the SI unit for temperature, which is an absolute scale with zero Kelvin representing absolute zero—the lowest possible temperature where no heat energy is available. The professor explains that negative temperatures are not possible in Kelvin because temperature measures heat energy, and absolute zero is the point where all molecular motion theoretically stops. He contrasts this with Fahrenheit and Celsius, which can have negative values. The paragraph also provides a brief explanation of how to convert Celsius to Kelvin, using the example of a hot day in Los Angeles, and mentions that such conversions are common in chemistry. The summary concludes with an invitation for viewers to subscribe to the channel for more tutorials, support the professor on Patreon, and reach out via email.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Temperature Conversions
💡Fahrenheit
💡Celsius
💡Kelvin
💡Absolute Zero
💡SI Unit
💡Freezing Point
💡Boiling Point
💡Heat Energy
💡Conversion Equations
💡Public Small Talk
Highlights
Temperature is a significant aspect of human experience and can be a conversation starter.
Different units measure temperature, including Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin.
Fahrenheit is unique to the United States and a few US territories.
Celsius is the global standard for temperature measurement.
Kelvin is the SI unit for temperature used in scientific calculations.
The need for temperature unit conversion arises in various contexts, such as comparing climates or scientific calculations.
The reference values for Fahrenheit and Celsius are based on the freezing and boiling points of water.
Celsius scales 0 to 100 degrees between the freezing and boiling points of water.
Fahrenheit scales 32 to 212 degrees for the same points, with 180 degrees in total.
Fahrenheit temperatures increase at a rate of 9/5 times that of Celsius.
There is a 32-degree difference in the starting point between Fahrenheit and Celsius scales.
Conversion equations between Fahrenheit and Celsius are tested using the freezing and boiling points of water.
An example comparison of temperatures in Los Angeles and Rome demonstrates the conversion process.
Kelvin is derived from Celsius, with 1 degree Celsius equaling 1 Kelvin.
Kelvin is an absolute temperature scale, with zero Kelvin representing absolute zero.
Absolute zero is the lowest possible temperature and is equivalent to -273 Celsius.
Simple equations allow for the conversion between Celsius and Kelvin, which is common in chemistry.
An example of converting a temperature from Celsius to Kelvin is provided.
The tutorial concludes with a call to action for subscriptions and support on Patreon.
Transcripts
Hey it's professor Dave, let's learn how to do temperature conversions.
Temperature is a big part of the human experience. If you want to make small
talk in public, just bring up the temperature that day and you're good to
go, but just like mass, length, and time, we can use different units to measure
temperature, and we need to be able to convert between these units just as we
would with any other set of units. Most people are familiar with just one
temperature scale, which will depend on where they live in the world, but there
are three that are commonly used, and these are Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin.
Fahrenheit is used only in the United States and a handful of US territories.
The rest of the world uses Celsius. And the scientific community will typically
use Kelvin when doing calculations, as this is the SI unit for temperature.
Why would we need to convert between temperature units? Well we could convert
between Fahrenheit and Celsius to figure out whether it was hotter in California
or Italy on any given day. Or we might need to convert a temperature from one
of those scales into Kelvin in order to do scientific calculations. So let's
learn about the equations that will allow us to make these conversions.
In order to put these temperature scales into context, we must understand the
reference values that each scale uses. Both Fahrenheit and Celsius are defined
using the freezing point and boiling point of water. Celsius sets the freezing
point of pure water at zero, and the boiling point at a hundred, splitting up
the space between into 100 equal parts called degrees. Fahrenheit, a little less
intuitively, sets zero as the freezing point of brine, which is a salt water
solution. That puts the freezing point of pure water at 32 and the boiling point
at 212, splitting up the space between them into
180 degrees. So to understand how to convert between these, we must realize
that Fahrenheit climbs 180 degrees in the same space that Celsius climbs 100,
which requires that Fahrenheit temperatures climb at 9/5 the rate of
Celsius temperatures. But there is also a 32 degree discrepancy in where these
segments begin, and this also has to be accounted for. That means that these will
be the two equations we can use when converting in one direction or the other.
Let's test them by plugging in the freezing and boiling points of water to
ensure that we get valid results. And we can see that each conversion goes
precisely as we would expect. Now let's try a different example. Let's say that
on a particular day it's 95 degrees Fahrenheit in Los Angeles and 32 degrees
Celsius in Rome. Where is it hotter? Well let's take our Fahrenheit temperature,
plug it in here, and we get 35 degrees Celsius. Just to be thorough, let's
convert the 32 degrees Celsius into Fahrenheit as well, and we should get
about 90. So it looks like California is the winner in this round. As we mentioned
earlier, Kelvin is the SI unit for temperature, and it is derived from the
Celsius scale, in that one degree Celsius is precisely equal to 1 Kelvin.
But Kelvin is an absolute temperature scale, meaning zero Kelvin is absolute zero, or
the lowest temperature possible. Believe it or not, there is a lowest possible
temperature, because temperature is a measure of available heat energy, so if
there is no heat energy whatsoever, you are left with absolute zero. We are
used to below zero temperatures in Fahrenheit and Celsius if it is very
cold, but this is impossible in Kelvin, and for good reason, because if we do
calculations using certain equations and we plug in negative values or zero for
temperature, it will ruin our math, because it doesn't make sense to use
negative values when discussing heat energy. We need a temperature scale that
will always be positive so that we can demonstrate the proportional change in a
quantity due to temperature change. As it turns out, absolute zero is about
negative 273 Celsius, which means we can use these simple equations to go between
Celsius and Kelvin, which we will frequently need to do in chemistry.
So that same hot day in Los Angeles from before, measured in Kelvin would be
around 308. And now we should be able to convert between Fahrenheit, Celsius, and
Kelvin temperature scales. Let's check comprehension.
Thanks for watching, guys. Subscribe to my channel for more tutorials, support me on patreon so I can
keep making content, and as always feel free to email me:
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