| Celsius | <unit> A measurement of temperature (Celsius or Centigrade) that is commonly used in Europe. Normal body temperature is considered to be 37 degrees Celsius or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Body temperature can vary 1/2 degree Celsius above or below 37 C and still be considered normal. Body temperature varies with many factors including level of activity. To convert a Fahrenheit temperature to Celsius use: C = (F-32) x 5/9. To convert a Celsius temperature to Fahrenheit use: F = (C x 9/5) + 32 (13 Nov 1997) |
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| Celsius, Anders | <person> Swedish astronomer, 1701-1744. See: Celsius scale. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Celsius scale | A temperature scale that is based upon the triple point of water (defined to be 273.16 K) and assigned the value of 0.01캜; this has replaced the centigrade scale because the triple point of water can be more accurately measured than the ice point; although, for most practical purposes, the two scales are equivalent. (05 Mar 2000) |
| air thermometer | See: gas thermometer. (05 Mar 2000) |
| axillary thermometer | Thermometer used by placing it in the armpit, with arm held closely to the side. Synonym: axillary thermometer. (05 Mar 2000) |
| axilla thermometer | Thermometer used by placing it in the armpit, with arm held closely to the side. Synonym: axillary thermometer. (05 Mar 2000) |
| gas thermometer | A thermometer filled with dry air or a gas, the expansion or increased pressure of which indicates the degree of heat; used to measure high temperatures. (05 Mar 2000) |
| resistance thermometer | A device measuring temperature by the change of the electrical resistance of a metal wire. Synonym: resistance pyrometer. (05 Mar 2000) |
| clinical thermometer | A small, self-registering thermometer, consisting of a simple scaled glass tube containing mercury, used for taking the temperature of the body. (05 Mar 2000) |
| water thermometer | <physics> A thermometer filled with water instead of mercury, for ascertaining the precise temperature at which water attains its maximum density. This is about 39 deg Fahr, or 4 deg Centigrade; and from that point down to 32 deg Fahr, or 0 deg Centigrade, or the freezing point, it expands. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| wet and dry bulb thermometer | An instrument for measuring the tension of the aqueous vapor in the atmosphere, being essentially a wet and dry bulb hygrometer. Origin: Gr. Psychros cold: cf. F. Psychrometre. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| self-registering thermometer | A thermometer in which the maximum or minimum temperature, during the period of observation, is registered by means of a special appliance; in the clinical thermometer only the highest temperature is registered, usually by a steel bar above the column of mercury or by a segment of the mercury separated from the main column by a bubble of air; after the maximum temperature is registered, the bar or segment of mercury remains in place as the column of mercury contracts. (05 Mar 2000) |
| spirit thermometer | A thermometer filled with alcohol, used to measure extreme degrees of cold. (05 Mar 2000) |
| surface thermometer | A thermometer in the form of a disk or strip that indicates the temperature of the portion of the skin to which it is applied. (05 Mar 2000) |
| differential thermometer | <instrument, physics> An instrument for indicating changes of temperature without indicating the degree of heat by which it is affected; especially, an instrument contrived by Count Rumford which, as modified by Professor Leslie, was afterward called the differential thermometer. Origin: Thermo- + -scope. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |