Abstract
Frank Loesser's song epitomises our fixation with temperature. But how do we define how hot is hot and how cold is cold? This short article looks at the history of temperature and why life today is much simpler than it was in the past.
Highlights
Frank Loesser’s song epitomises our fixation with temperature
From where did these numbers come? Are they really absolute? And what do they have to do with melting butter or freezing oil of aniseed? The measurement of temperature was not always as simple as it is today and to understand the temperature units of today, we need to look to history
A thermoscope is a temperature sensor without a scale – it tells you about changes in temperature in a non-quantitative manner
Summary
Frank Loesser’s song epitomises our fixation with temperature. But how do we define how hot is hot and how cold is cold? This short article looks at the history of temperature and why life today is much simpler than it was in the past. Edwin (Ed) Constable is professor of chemistry at the University of Basel. His interests in chemistry are broad-ranging with a particular emphasis on the role of metals in modifying the properties of materials. He has long been interested in the history of science, believing that in order to understand today’s world, we need to understand from where we have come.
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