The Fahrenheit scale is a temperature system developed by German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit in the early 18th century. The spelling of "Fahrenheit" can be explained in IPA phonetic transcription as færənˌhaɪt, with the stress on the second syllable. The "f" is pronounced as an unvoiced labiodental fricative, followed by a diphthong "ae" pronounced as a long "e" sound. The "h" is pronounced with an unvoiced glottal fricative and the "t" is pronounced as a voiceless dental plosive.
The Fahrenheit scale is a temperature measurement scale used primarily in the United States for expressing temperatures. It was developed by the Polish-German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit in the early 18th century and is still in use in a few countries today.
The Fahrenheit scale is based on the Fahrenheit degree, which is defined as 1/180th of the temperature difference between the freezing point of water and the boiling point of water at standard atmospheric pressure. In other words, the scale assigns a value of 32 degrees Fahrenheit to the freezing point of water and 212 degrees Fahrenheit to the boiling point of water at standard atmospheric pressure.
One of the distinguishing features of the Fahrenheit scale is its use of negative numbers. Zero degrees Fahrenheit represents the coldest temperature achievable, which is equivalent to -459.67 degrees Fahrenheit (-273.15 degrees Celsius) on the Celsius scale. Additionally, the Fahrenheit scale has a smaller degree interval compared to the Celsius scale, with each Fahrenheit degree being approximately 1.8 times larger than a Celsius degree.
Despite being less commonly used worldwide, the Fahrenheit scale is still prevalent in the United States for everyday temperature measurements, particularly in weather reports, home thermostats, and cooking instructions, although the Celsius (or Centigrade) scale is used in most other countries.
The degree markings on the F. thermometer, in which the freezing point is 32°, the point of boiling water 212°, the zero indicating the lowest temperature F. could obtain by a mixture of ice and salt. A degree F. is 5/9 of a degree Celsius, 4/9 of a degree Reaumur. (See the Appendix.).
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
The word "Fahrenheit" is derived from the surname of its creator, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit. He was a Polish-German physicist and engineer who developed the Fahrenheit temperature scale in the early 18th century. The scale was initially proposed in 1724 and later refined in 1742 by Fahrenheit. The Fahrenheit scale is commonly used in the United States and a few other countries to measure temperature.