How Cold Is it?

Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
diyAudio Moderator Emeritus
Joined 2001
Stop fussing with that silly Celsius-to-Fahrenheit formula that nobody can remember anyway. Celsius people who want to find out Fahrenheit just have to refer to the chart below. :D

HOW COLD IS IT?

An annotated thermometer
60 - Californians put on sweaters
(if they can find one in their wardrobe)

50 - Miami residents turn on the heat

40 - You can see your breath
Californians shiver uncontrollably
Minnesotans go swimming

35 - Italian cars don't start

32 - Water freezes

30 - You plan your vacation to Australia
Minnesotans put on T-shirts
Politicians begin to worry about the homeless
British cars don't start
Your boogers freeze

25 - Boston water freezes
Californians weep pitiably
Minnesotans eat ice cream
Canadians go swimming

20 - You can hear your breath
Politicians begin to talk about the homeless
New York City water freezes
Miami residents plan vacation further South

15 - French cars don't start
You plan a vacation in Mexico
Cat insists on sleeping in your bed with you

10 - Too cold to ski
You need jumper cables to get the car going

5 - You plan your vacation in Houston
American cars don't start

0 - Canadians put on T-shirts
Too cold to skate

-10 - German cars don't start
Eyes freeze shut when you blink

-15 - You can cut your breath and use it to build an igloo
Miami residents cease to exist

-20 - Cat insists on sleeping in your pajamas with you
Minnesotans shovel snow off roof
Japanese cars don't start

-25 - Too cold to think
You need jumper cables to get the driver of the car
going

-30 - You plan a two week hot bath
The Mighty Monongahela freezes
Swedish cars don't start

-40 - Californians disappear
Minnesotans button top button
Canadians eat ice cream
Your car helps you plan your trip South

-50 - Congressional hot air freeze
Minnesotans turn up the heat
Canadians close the bathroom window

-80 - Hell freezes over
Polar bears move south
Canadians put on sweaters
 
--------------------------------------------------------------
-25 - Too cold to think
You need jumper cables to get the driver of the car
going

-27.4 [same as -33.0 degrees Celsius]
This is coldest so far,
where I live in Sweden, this winter


-30 - You plan a two week hot bath
The Mighty Monongahela freezes
(Swedish cars don't start)
We cheat!
Use electrical heated engine warmers, which are plugged into
230VAC mains. Each outside parking lot has an Mains Outlet.
So 90% of our cars start at any temp

-------------------------------------------------------------

/halo - from his swedish igloo COOL :cool: COOL
 
A wierd but I believe true account of how Fahrenheit came up with his scale... Take the difference in temperature between water freezing and boiling and divide that into 180 equal parts (degrees). Now take the entire scale and move it up such that 100 degrees is body temperature. But you are saying body temp is 98.6... Turns out Mr. Fahrenheit was 1.4 degrees warmer than the average person. An entire system based on a guy who was just a little warmer than most. I'll stick with Celcius...
 
Hi

A good story but:

from http://www.windows.ucar.edu/earth/Atmosphere/temperature/fahrenheit.html

"The zero point of the Fahrenheit scale is attained by mixing equal parts of water, ice, and salt.

Fahrenheit set the number 32 at the freezing point of water. He set the boiling point of water to 212 on his scale. 180 equal divisions or degrees (°) are marked on the Fahrenheit scale between the freezing and boiling points of water"

What I dont understand why use water, ice? and salt.

Keld
 
frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
Paid Member
dshortt9 said:
Top that.

A couple times...

When i was going to University in Edmonton we had a spell of 40 days were the high never reached 0 F. Most days were more like 30-40 (at this point F or C doesn't matter). Because of all the apartment towers the wind chill would hit -125 F. To get to class on the worst days we would bundle up like the Michelin Man and slowly race from one apartment building vestibule to the next, so that we didn't freeze on the way.

10 years later same city, i was visiting during a cold spell. Halo told us how they plug-in their cars so they start all the time... same in Alberta... but this time it was so cold that on top of plugging in the block heater, i had to take the battery out and into the house to keep it warm enuff to start the car the next morning

Now i'm sure that some of the DIYers from the Yukon, NWT, Nunavit can top this :)

dave
 
Keld said:
Hi

A good story but:

from http://www.windows.ucar.edu/earth/Atmosphere/temperature/fahrenheit.html

"The zero point of the Fahrenheit scale is attained by mixing equal parts of water, ice, and salt.

Fahrenheit set the number 32 at the freezing point of water. He set the boiling point of water to 212 on his scale. 180 equal divisions or degrees (°) are marked on the Fahrenheit scale between the freezing and boiling points of water"

What I dont understand why use water, ice? and salt.

Keld

Probably because then you can use many types of salt, salt water and different kinds of ice to attain different temperatures for easy adjustment of your thermometer...

I once went skiing downhill a whole week in Sweden where the village was below -42 degress centigrade (-44 F) and the slopes were below -28 degrees centigrade (-18 F) all week. With the wind speed that was kind of cold. We did try all week to find a balaclava but for some strange reason everybody was sold out. And yes, I did see the famous crosscountry skier with icicles hanging out of his nose and in his beard. Not a pretty sight.
 
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.