Temperature units

Temperature is a physical magnitude that expresses the degree or level of hot or cold in our bodies or in the environment. In the international system of units, the unit to measure temperature is the Kelvin. Below we will speak generally about other units for the temperature measurement.
Firstly, we must distinguish between two categories of measurement units for temperature: absolute and relative measurement units.

- Absolute are those related to absolute zero which is the lowest theoretical temperature possible and corresponds to the point at which molecules and atoms have the lowest level of thermal energy.

- Kelvin (international system): represented by the letter 'K' and does not use the "º" symbol representing degrees. It was created by William Thompson upon the basis of degrees Celsius, establishing point zero as being absolute zero (-273.15 ºC) and keeping the same dimensions for degrees. This was established as part of the international system of units in 1954.

- We call relative units because they compare with an established physical-chemical process that always produces the same temperature.
       - Degrees Celsius (international system): or also referred to as degrees centigrade is represented by this symbol: ºC. This unit of measurement defines the freezing point of water as being 0º and the boiling point of water as being 100º, both measurements at an atmospheric pressure and divided into a scale of 100 equal parts in which each one corresponds to 1 degree. This scale was proposed by Anders Celsius, a Swiss physicist and astronomer, in 1742.

- Degrees Fahrenheit (international system): this takes the division of the points between freezing and evaporation of an ammonium chloride solution. This was proposed by Gabriel Fahrenheit in 1724, establishing zero and one hundred in the scale as being the freezing and evaporation points of ammonium chloride in water. This used a mercury thermometer in which was introduced crushed ice and ammonium chloride in equal parts. This concentrated saline solution gave the lowest possible temperature in the laboratory at that time. Later, another mix of crushed ice and pure water was used, to determine the point of 30ºF, which after was fixed at 32ºF (fusion point of ice) and later the thermometer showed water vapour occurred at 212ºF (boiling point of water). The difference between these points is 180ºF, that is divided into 180 equal parts determining degrees Fahrenheit. The PCE-T395 thermometer can measure in degrees Celsius and in Fahrenheit.

Conversion table for temperature units of measurement:

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