Introduction:
November 27, 1701, saw the birth of Swedish astronomer, physicist, and mathematician Anders Celsius in Uppsala. His contributions to thermometry, especially the development of the Celsius temperature scale, have made him most well-known. Today, this scale is widely used worldwide for routine temperature measurements. We shall examine Anders Celsius’s life, accomplishments, and legacy in this article.
Temperature Scales:
It is worth noting that there exist two other commonly used temperature scales besides the one we are familiar with. They named the Fahrenheit temperature scale developed by Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736), who, according to scholars, used the freezing point of brine as the lower fixed point 0°F and used the average human temperature as the upper fixed point; one may argue what does moderate mean here. He assigned this higher temperature to an arbitrary value of 90°F and then altered it to 96°F. Of course, there is a linear relationship between these two temperature scales, which has often been my first programming exercise set for my students at Oxford in my introduction to C++ course using F=9C/5+32.
Zero Temperature:
Both these temperature scales do NOT have a temperature which assigns a value of zero energy to a zero temperature. Recall from one’s courses in thermodynamics that the energy of atomic vibrations is directly proportional to a temperature, which we now call the absolute temperature scale developed by William Thompson (1824-1907), later called Lord Kelvin. Thus, Physics needed a temperature, T, such that when T=0, this energy E=0 (in appropriate units). The Austrian Physicist Ludwig Boltzmann developed it further. Boltzmann constant is one of the most ubiquitous constants in Physics, rivalling other constants like Planck’s constant, the speed of light and Newton’s gravitational constant.
Physics Laws/Equations:
Pi and e are mathematical constants in many physical laws and equations. Staying with Ludwig for a moment, the great 19th century “Giant” was known to suffer from depression and committed suicide (by hanging) due to the hostile attacks that were made on his work only weeks before his career was vindicated, this is similar to the attacks on the “Giant” Georg Cantor (1854-1918) who similarly was cruelly attacked due to his work on the infinite and regrettably he was institutionalized for the insane on more than one occasion.
Conclusion:
Returning to Anders, he did make great strides in temperature comprehension. I prefer Galileo’s thermometer for measurement. Anders Celsius’ scientific discoveries in thermometry greatly influenced temperature measurement. His contributions to science, including creating the Celsius temperature scale, cemented his place in the annals of scientific history. His name is immortalized in the Celsius temperature scale, a testament to his creativity and lasting impact on science.
