<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
>
>
> > Celsius - and most of SI - is based on the properties of water, which
> > is much more natural. Water freezes at 0, boils at 100. This is far more
> > useful for everyday temperatures than Farenheit.
> >
>
> This is arbitrary as well... You just have to consider the variables
envolved
> in boiling water to realize that... water only boils or freezes at those
> points under 1 atmosphere of preasure. Any less, and boiling point falls,
> and freezing point rises. Any more, boiling point rises, and freezing
point
> falls.
The celsius zero point is defined by reference to the triple point of water,
which doesn't depend on pressure
The size of a degree is arbitary but 0-100 is more convenient than
32-212, which is why Farenheit picked those numbers. He used
0F for the coldest temperature he could measure and 100F for human
body temperature, but that isn't a useful standard range.
>
> This discussion of the unit systems brings me to a different question. If
an
> advanced, alien culture were to study us, for measuring liquids, which do
you
> think that alien culture would consider the superior system? I think they
> would consider the imperial system superior. Not for the source of the
> units, but for the structuring of it. The imperial system, with it's
ounces,
> cups, pints, quarts, half-gallons, gallons, etc. uses a binary system of
> units (1cup = 8 (2^3) ounces, 1 pint = 2 cups, 1 quart = 2 pints, 1
> half-gallon = 2 quarts, 1gallon = 2 half-gallons).
Cups are not part of the proper imperial system, as used
in the UK
It's 20 fluid ounce to a pint, etc so 160 fluid ounces in a gallon
each of which is a measure of volume.
For weight, there are 16 ounces to the pound. Water has a
density of one oz/fl oz or 10 pounds/gallon.
There are then 14 pounds in a stone, 8 stone in a hundredweight,
and 20 hundredweight to a ton; a pretty arbitary sequence of
numbers.
