this post was submitted on 22 Oct 2024
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xkcd

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In my new scale, °X, 0 is Earths' record lowest surface temperature, 50 is the global average, and 100 is the record highest, with a linear scale between each point and adjustment every year as needed.

https://explainxkcd.com/3001/

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 4 weeks ago (28 children)

I am very surprised that Rankine gets such a high cursedness score. Isn't it just the same as Kelvin but based on Fahrenheit instead of Celsius?

[–] [email protected] 67 points 4 weeks ago (24 children)

Because it implies you are using US Costumary/Imperial units for science or "fancy" engineering.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (22 children)

Yeah, well that’s a cultural thing really. Celcius and fahrenheit scales are both quite arbitrary. The kelvin scale uses absolute zero, which totally makes sense, but the other fixed point is pretty arbitrary when you think of it. The fahrenheit scale makes sense for the human experience of weather, while the celcius scale makes sense for generally life on Earth where water plays an important role. Neither of them are particularly universal, and they both suck in their unique ways.

see also: natural units

(Edit)

Life Pro Tip: If you take the piss out of two units at the same time, you can make everyone equally angry.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

The fahrenheit scale makes sense for the human experience of weather

Wat. Yanks keep saying this but... wat

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It’s only fair to give credit when credit is due. Doesn’t mean I like that unit, but I can see where they’re coming from.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

It doesn't make any sense to me, sorry

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

50 is about the average temperature for spring and fall. Summer gets closer to 100 to imply hot and winter it drops down closer to 0.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

That's both very dependent on the location and not at all more natural or intuitive to me than Celsius for my area

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Yeah well obviously wasn't planned for a global scale and you can thank European mindset 300 years ago for that so it is definitely scaled for arable land in higher latitudes.

It wasn't very technical cause I mean they just weren't back then. Heck ask a baker what a pinch is.

But for trying to come up with a scale to give people a way to talk about the temperature in Poland was the point and it's just stuck for people that are using it same as those using other methods. It wasn't and isn't about you.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

This was about "scale makes sense for human experience of weather" in comparison to Celsius though. What I've wondered is how does it make any more sense than Fahrenheit.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Yeah and it's been explained and you avoid it by saying it doesn't work for you.

So the conversation is over.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I didn't avoid it, I was just hoping that there'd be an explanation that would make sense. "Well you know, this season is vaguely around this degree in general in some places and this around this, or maybe not, very natural and intuitive" wasn't very convincing lol. No offense.

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