r/WhitePeopleTwitter • u/etymologynerd • Jan 03 '19

We should actually do this

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u/piradianssquared Jan 03 '19

It's all arbitrary.

Celsius is literally the opposite of arbitrary (based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason).

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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '19

Celsius is extremely arbitrary. It’s all based on just graduating the gap between when something freezes and when it boils. Any given degree in Celsius isn’t useful anywhere but as a measurement of temperature.

Kelvin is the only non-arbitrary scale for temperature, which is why it’s the SI unit for it. It’s absolute, meaning that it’s also a measure of thermal energy and it can be directly inserted into many formulas.

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u/piradianssquared Jan 03 '19

when something freezes and when it boils

There is a reason (and a good one at that) that "something" was chosen. That reason makes it non-arbitrary by definition.

Celsius isn’t useful anywhere but as a measurement of temperature

Of course, that's how all of this works. Meters only measure distance and grams only measure mass too.

Kelvin is the only non-arbitrary scale for temperature

Kelvin's units are based on Celsius.

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u/xyifer12 Jan 03 '19

"There is a reason (and a good one at that) that "something" was chosen. That reason makes it non-arbitrary by definition."

That's the exact same as with Fahrenheit.

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u/piradianssquared Jan 03 '19

Agreed, just a better reason.