View Single Post
  #95  
Old 12-20-2006, 09:58 PM
Derek's Avatar
Derek Derek is offline
Dean of misderektion
Senior Staff
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Sector 001
Posts: 1,106
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by MaverickZer0 View Post
Water should freeze at zero,
Using that logic, all liquids should freeze at zero.

Quote:
units should be in tens and hundreds.
Which is true of all base-10 measuring systems. And even taking you at your meaning, Fahrenheit isn't exactly like distances which have inches, feet, yards, and miles, with non-base-10 conversions between them. There's only one unit.

Quote:
Water freezing at 32 or whatever doesn't make much sense.
Why is water special? Why does it make sense that ethanol freezes at -114.3 °C instead of -173.74 °F?

Quote:
Then 0 is way below the freezing point and there's no point of having a zero if it's not doing anything special.
It's still arbitrary. There's no scientific reason why water should be chosen as the fluid. Why not hydrogen? Or nitrogen? Or mercury? Or gold? Those are elements, not compounds, so you think they might be given priority. Scientifically, it makes sense that absolute zero would be zero.

(Apparently I'm in an argumentative mood today. Ignore me.)
__________________
"Please, Aslan," said Lucy, "what do you call soon?"
"I call all times soon," said Aslan; and instantly he vanished away and Lucy was alone with the Magician.
Reply With Quote