A Matter of Degrees

• By Richard Pommier Swanson
• Posted 01.08.08
• NOVA

Building a thermometer is a matter of precise technology—putting just the right amount of mercury into a specially designed glass tube, for instance—but determining which numbers to use on the thermometer is entirely up to the inventor. In this interactive, create your own temperature scale by choosing fixed points of your own. Then see how your scale compares with the Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin scales.

This feature originally appeared on the site for the NOVA program Absolute Zero.

Richard Pommier Swanson is the former Science Content Director for PBS's DragonflyTV. He holds degrees in Education and the History of Science and Technology from the University of Minnesota.