Definition:Celsius/Historical Note

Historical Note on Celsius

The Celsius scale is based on that proposed in $1742$ by the astronomer Anders Celsius.

He defined the upper and lower reference points from the melting and boiling points of water.

These were initially the other way round from their current definitions: $0 \cels$ was for the boiling point and $100 \cels$ was for the melting point.

Celsius originally called it the centigrade scale, but for various reasons the name was a source of confusion, and so in $1948$ the name Celsius was adopted.

This is the system of measurement of temperature that is generally taught in schools.

Sources

• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Celsius degree
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Celsius degree