No one is saying centigrade is correct; clearly degree Celsius is correct, as stated in the defining document, the SI Brochure. However, it is a minor error, and really not worth upbraiding people over, unlike some errors (eg micron).
--- On Wed, 12/16/09, Martin Vlietstra <[email protected]> wrote: From: Martin Vlietstra <[email protected]> Subject: [USMA:46289] Re: Celsius To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Date: Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 1:19 AM If centigrade is correct, then what is a “grade”. Is it the difference between the freezing and boiling points of water? If so, then it should be remembered that the temperature scale is currently fixed in terms of the triple point of water, so in line with other units of measure, the unit of temperatures should be named after scientists who were famous in that field. Lord Kelvin has already given his name to kelvins, so why not use the name of Anders Celsius. Besides, the symbol °C could be retained. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jon Saxton Sent: 16 December 2009 01:09 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:46287] Re: Celsius I never correct either, but then I always thought Centigrade was a better name than Celsius. John M. Steele wrote: Yes, it is still pretty common. I'm pragmatic and I don't worry about it much. I'd much rather they measure in degrees Centigrade than in Fahrenheit. I think the symbols are more important than the words.I am more concerned by improper uses that are likely to carry over into improper symbolization. As examples, I would offer: *The use of the micron for micrometer. This is likely to carry over into the use of a standalone prefix. *Mostly gone now, but when pico- was first introduced, small value capacitances continued to be referred to as micromicrofarads, rather than picofarads for many years. I consider those more worthy of correction, but rarely even bother to correct Centigrade. --- On Mon, 12/14/09, Paul Trusten <[email protected]> wrote: From: Paul Trusten <[email protected]> Subject: [USMA:46279] Celsius To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Date: Monday, December 14, 2009, 10:51 AM Celsius has been the official name for a commonly used SI-derived temperature scale for 60 years. Yet, there seems to be some kind of tacit agreement among people to continue to call it centigrade. I was actually pleasantly surprised to hear a Discovery Channel voice call it Celsius for once. People in my department call it centigrade no matter how frequently I gently remind them. Do you have this problem? Does this happen outside the U.S. ? Paul Trusten
