OT Fahrenheit

So now you know equvalent of 1 deg. F in Celcius? Your thermostat has something called anticipator and more advanced digital ones have temperature band(how accurately it'll control temperature).

I've had three different brands of electronic thermostats. As far as I can tell, they are settable in rather small increments that don't map directly to Fahrenheit or Celsius degrees. That means that for many Fahrenheit settings and probably all Celsius settings, you can bump it either up or down without changing the displayed temperature setting. There have been lots of times when I've found that "high 20" was just right while "low 20" was too cold.

As for the Fahrenheit scale, the one thing that seems "natural" about it is that zero is DAMN cold and 100 is DAMN hot - but they are still within the range of temperatures people can experience in the Real World. Zero Celsius doesn't really seem to cross any threshold of extremeness, and 100 Celsius is outside the range of temperatures you'll see on any weather report.

Put it at 69º and buy a sweater with the savings.

That's a guy from above the 26th parallel talking. We have our water pipes above ground here and zero C is very significant.

Frost line is 42 inches here.

When I got out for the morning newspaper, I don't even bother about a jacket unless it's below 20 F.

Cindy Hamilton

Three things to consider :

First, if the thermostat is behind the computer, then there is a good chance the hot air from the computer fan and/or monitor are affecting the thermostat, at least when they are on. Since the thermostat will be warmed by this, it will seem cooler elsewhere. When the computer is off, the thermostat will be more accurate.

Second, most, if not all, thermostats allow the temperature to fluctuate in a range centered on the desired temperature. The reason for this is mosly a matter of efficiency, as keeping the temperature at a constant setting would require the heater to go on and off frequently. This is not only inefficient, it is annoying.

Finally, the outside temperature can affected by other things. In a still room, warm air will rise, and cold air will sink. The floor will often be significantly cooler than a thermostat mounted fairly high on the wall. Also, if the thermostat is mounted on a central wall, this is frequently more insulated and stable than areas near exterior walls. A ceiling or other fan can help balance the temperatures, but this will also increase your energy bill.

Dean G.

We have been officially metric for almost 30 years now, but most people over 30 still seem to thing in Fahrenheit. I don't understand it because Celsius makes so much more sense. Water freezes at 0 and boils at 100. That 0 C makes a big difference in weather conditions. When it drops below freezing it is cold, so having a scale that zeroes out at the freezing point makes a lot of sense. You are quite right about being able to detect a one degree difference in temperature. One degree C is noticeable while one degree F is not.

Many of our Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson in particular, because they were rational, wanted us to use the decimal system.

I'm missing somthing here. Did you mean the 56th parallel? Where do you live?

Dick

Or 68!

>

I don't know where you are, but weather reports and temperatures on buildings are all in Fahrenheit. Schools teach metrics as though it was a foreign language. While whiskey, wine, and soda are measured being soda are being sold in metric, beer and most other necessities of life are sold in US measurements. Try to by lumber by the meter.

Dick

Which means what? The metric system IS decimal while the current US system of feet, inches, pounds and onces is not.

Hint: note his email address. The ".ca" means Canada.

Not in Canada, they're not.

I would have to turn mine up. I have a programmed thermostat. The highest temperature programmed is the evening at 68F. During the day it is 64 and at night it is 60.

I think that 100 Fahrenheit was intended to be human body temperate re, they just missed a little. The 0 point may have some connection with freezing to death (DAMN cold).

Temperature is one of the few commonly-measured things in which, (in either Celsius or Fahrenheit) 0 represents an artificial point rather than the complete lack of the thing being measured.

I've been outside at 20F (with no wind or rain). It didn't seem cold at all.

------ Right on- by the way, I am 75 and have no problem with Celsius after our long overdue conversion. 20-21C is fine , 0C cover your tender plants and watch for icy atches. -40 C= -40F -Shirtsleeves are fine for 50-100 meters depending on the wind as humidity is not a problem (better than NYC at temperatures near

0C). 100C makes sense as well as 0C in that boiling water is something you don't want to wash your willie with. It really is a matter of associating what you feel with the scale.

(Fahrenheit zero is based on the commonsense measure of the freezing point of a saturated salt solution which everyone has on hand, and boiling point is 180 degrees above the freezing point of "pure" water. Completely logical of course )

As for thermostats- I wonder how many are accurate to within 1 division on their scale and, if so, what does it mean at some other location in the house or even the room?

But NEVER 65. That's too cold. I've been through that with my parents.

South Florida. It never gets below 0 C here. That is the threshold that would make me move farther south.