Brain Teasers
Graduation Riddle
I am a unit of measurement. I am rather confused however, because I am used to measure different things. Physicists use me to measure temperature. In that case, I come in 3 different types, named after a German, A British lord, and a Swedish astronomer. In America, they prefer one type, but in Europe they like another. Scientists don't particularly like either of these. In Geography, I am divided into minutes, but I am not used to measure time. And just for good measure, I am not used at all by mathematicians who like to use Calculus. What am I?
Hint
If you get the answer to this riddle, you will graduate.Answer
I am the Degree.Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin for temperature and
1/360 of a revolution in angular measure, but in Calculus, radian measure is used for angles.
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Nice one Jimbo. Many years out of H.S. now (ok, well 6 to me is a lot). I haven't understood why Celcius, Fahrenheit, Kelvin are all used for one thing. Thanx for letting me know I wasn't alone- Wait. It was the Degree that was confused, not , you right? Oh, well. I'm still smiling!
GOOD ONE
Sep 12, 2003
There's no such thing as degrees Kelvin. It's just 273 Kelvin equals 0 degrees C. Nice thought, but know your science.
Quote " The symbol ^o A. is used to denote the Absolute Temperature; the symbol ^oK., in honour of Lord Kelvin, is also commonly used. In general: ^oA. = ^oC. + 273." CHEMISTRY - James V Quagliano Florida State University, Prentice-Hall 1963(P15. What does the elevated ^o mean before each symbol if it doesn't mean degrees? Perhaps you are confusing usage with scientific knowledge.
noctividu is absolutely correct. I have an engineering background and I know for a fact that scientists have dropped the degree sign from Kelven. So 0 degrees Celsius would be 273 Kelvin. I think that this nomenclature has been adobted since 1963.
I still think this is usage. If the temperature changes from 30 Kelvin to 31 Kelvin, what change has there been? This is not a change of 1 Kelvin. The unit is not called the Kelvin. It is the Kelvin scale. The temperaturer has changed by 1 degree.
The change is 1 kelvin and it is also a change of 1 degree Celsius. The unit is called the kelvin. I am an engineer and I know that for a fact. You shouldn't argue with somebody that is an expert on the subject, expecially when you don't know what you are talking about. Here is a little information for you and it absolutely can not be disputed.
Kelvin:
The unit of thermodynamic temperature and the unit of temperature interval in SI, defined by the 13th CGPM, 1967, as 1⁄273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water (the temperature and pressure at which water can exist simultaneously as solid, liquid and gas). Symbol, K.
When the kelvin was originally established in 1948 (ninth CGPM, resolution 7), it was as the “degree absolute” with the symbol °K. In 1960 the 11th CGPM changed the name to “degree Kelvin,” with the same symbol. Seven years later, the 13th CGPM decided to change the name to simply “kelvin” (note the switch to lowercase) and the symbol to K, but allowed the older usage to continue for the time being. In 1980, the CIPM withdrew that permission. Consequently, no degree mark is used with this symbol, and it is read as, for example, “four hundred kelvins,” not “four hundred degrees kelvin.”
As you can see, there are published rules for the nomelcature used when using SI units. For reference:
Acronym, CGPM, from the French, Conférence Générale des Poids et Mesures. In English it is "General Conference on Weights and Measures." The CGPM is an assembly of delegates from all the nations that have signed the Meter Convention, at present 46 nations. The conference is held at least every six years, and often every four. Its principal duty is to improve and spread SI, which it does by considering and approving recommendations made by the CIPM. The conference elects the 18 members of the CIPM, and also makes major decisions concerning the operation of the BIPM.
Acronym, CIPM, from its official name, Comité International des Poids et Mesures. In English it is "International Committee
for Weights and Measures." The committee consists of eighteen scientists elected at the previous CGPM, each from a different nation that is signatory to the Meter Convention. The committee receives reports, recommends modifications to the SI to the CGPM, and can pass resolutions clarifying aspects of the SI without the approval of the CGPM. It also oversees the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
Kelvin:
The unit of thermodynamic temperature and the unit of temperature interval in SI, defined by the 13th CGPM, 1967, as 1⁄273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water (the temperature and pressure at which water can exist simultaneously as solid, liquid and gas). Symbol, K.
When the kelvin was originally established in 1948 (ninth CGPM, resolution 7), it was as the “degree absolute” with the symbol °K. In 1960 the 11th CGPM changed the name to “degree Kelvin,” with the same symbol. Seven years later, the 13th CGPM decided to change the name to simply “kelvin” (note the switch to lowercase) and the symbol to K, but allowed the older usage to continue for the time being. In 1980, the CIPM withdrew that permission. Consequently, no degree mark is used with this symbol, and it is read as, for example, “four hundred kelvins,” not “four hundred degrees kelvin.”
As you can see, there are published rules for the nomelcature used when using SI units. For reference:
Acronym, CGPM, from the French, Conférence Générale des Poids et Mesures. In English it is "General Conference on Weights and Measures." The CGPM is an assembly of delegates from all the nations that have signed the Meter Convention, at present 46 nations. The conference is held at least every six years, and often every four. Its principal duty is to improve and spread SI, which it does by considering and approving recommendations made by the CIPM. The conference elects the 18 members of the CIPM, and also makes major decisions concerning the operation of the BIPM.
Acronym, CIPM, from its official name, Comité International des Poids et Mesures. In English it is "International Committee
for Weights and Measures." The committee consists of eighteen scientists elected at the previous CGPM, each from a different nation that is signatory to the Meter Convention. The committee receives reports, recommends modifications to the SI to the CGPM, and can pass resolutions clarifying aspects of the SI without the approval of the CGPM. It also oversees the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
Very informative! Your professional library is clearly more up to date than mine. I notice that you refer to the "Meter convention". Is that how it is spelled? Is that another change that "they" have made?
According to this site :
http://www.bipm.org/en/convention/
it is called the "Metre Convention". There are all sorts of different usages about, aren't there?
http://www.bipm.org/en/convention/
it is called the "Metre Convention". There are all sorts of different usages about, aren't there?
The spelling of meter depends on where you are at. In the United States it is spelled "meter" and I guess everywhere else it is spelled "metre". I don't know why the words have changed spelling over time but it is rare to see any word in the US with the r before the e.
Jimbo, this is a good teaser, regardless of what the French Academy of Hairsplitting's Convention of 1642 decided.
I agree with rowsdower
Thats a good hint
Noctivus I came in here ready to rant about the same thing. Though it was easy, it was wrong. Too bad there isn't a rating of "this guy shouldn't be allowed to post in science."
Your riddle is a little wrong. There is actually 8 Temperature Scales according to Wikipedia.
Comparison of temperature scales
Comparison of temperature scales Comment Kelvin, Celsius, Fahrenheit, Rankine, Delisle, Newton, Réaumur, Rømer
Absolute zero 0 −273.15 −459.67 0 559.725 −90.14 −218.52 −135.90
Fahrenheit's ice/salt mixture 255.37 −17.78 0 459.67 176.67 −5.87 −14.22 −1.83
Water freezes (at standard pressure) 273.15 0 32 491.67 150 0 0 7.5
Average human body temperature ¹ 310.0 36.8 98.2 557.9 94.5 12.21 29.6 26.925
Water boils (at standard pressure) 373.15 100 212 671.67 0 33 80 60
Titanium melts 1941 1668 3034 3494 −2352 550 1334 883
The surface of the Sun 5800 5526 9980 10440 −8140 1823 4421 2909
Their names and Places:
Sir Kelvin William Thompson - England
Anders Celsius -Amsterdam
Gariel Fahrneheit - Sweden
William John Macquorn Rankine - Edinburgh, Scotland
Joseph-Nicholas Delisle - Paris, France
Sir Isaac Netwon - England (some say Itlay or France)
Rene-Antoine Ferchault de Reaumer - France
Ole Christensen Romer(Roemer) - Copenhagen, Denmark
Since I had to learn Physics for my
Degree, I knew there was more than 3 ways to measure temperature.
Comparison of temperature scales
Comparison of temperature scales Comment Kelvin, Celsius, Fahrenheit, Rankine, Delisle, Newton, Réaumur, Rømer
Absolute zero 0 −273.15 −459.67 0 559.725 −90.14 −218.52 −135.90
Fahrenheit's ice/salt mixture 255.37 −17.78 0 459.67 176.67 −5.87 −14.22 −1.83
Water freezes (at standard pressure) 273.15 0 32 491.67 150 0 0 7.5
Average human body temperature ¹ 310.0 36.8 98.2 557.9 94.5 12.21 29.6 26.925
Water boils (at standard pressure) 373.15 100 212 671.67 0 33 80 60
Titanium melts 1941 1668 3034 3494 −2352 550 1334 883
The surface of the Sun 5800 5526 9980 10440 −8140 1823 4421 2909
Their names and Places:
Sir Kelvin William Thompson - England
Anders Celsius -Amsterdam
Gariel Fahrneheit - Sweden
William John Macquorn Rankine - Edinburgh, Scotland
Joseph-Nicholas Delisle - Paris, France
Sir Isaac Netwon - England (some say Itlay or France)
Rene-Antoine Ferchault de Reaumer - France
Ole Christensen Romer(Roemer) - Copenhagen, Denmark
Since I had to learn Physics for my
Degree, I knew there was more than 3 ways to measure temperature.
Good teaser.
Whilst I did agree about Kelvin in England we have the phrase "too much information". If anyone wants to know more we can google it like Curtis.
Whilst I did agree about Kelvin in England we have the phrase "too much information". If anyone wants to know more we can google it like Curtis.
Vudluxi in the USA we have the saying need to know and nice to know information. I gave what i thought was nice to know information, bnase the answer in the teaser was not complete.
Also I did not see where Curtis got his information anywhere in this teaser, so how did you come unto this information?
Also I did not see where Curtis got his information anywhere in this teaser, so how did you come unto this information?
I knew it was degree!
Good teaser! (I can graduate, by the way!)
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