| C E N T E R F O R T H E I N T E G R A T I V E S T U D Y O F A N I M A L B E H A V I O R |
| 1. Enter the number you want to convert here:
2. After you have entered a value, select one of the conversions below: |
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° Fahrenheit to: |
° Celsius to: |
° Réaumur to: |
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° Kelvin to: |
° Rankine to: |
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Conversion:
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| T E M P E R A T U R E |
Temperature is a measure of the motion of individual atoms and molecules in a gas, liquid, or solid. High temperature means that an object's consituent parts are moving around energetically. . In gasses, a high temperature means that individual gas molecules are moving about independently at high speeds. . In solids, a high temperature means that individual atoms of the solid are vibrating energetically in place. Low temperature results from the opposite activity: . In gasses, a low temperature means that individual gas molecues are moving slowly. . Absolute zero (0°K) is the point at which atomic and molecular motion stops; this temperature has not yet been achieved on earth. |
| T E M P E R A T U R E S C A L E S |
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F A H R E N H E I T (thermometric scale) Named after Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit (1686-1736), German physicist. Around 1714 Fahrenheit proposed that the freezing-point of water should be 32° (to avoid negative temperatures) and the boiling-point 212°. There are 180 degrees in the Fahrenheit scale interval. R É A U M U R (thermometric scale) Named after René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur (1683-1757), French scientist. Réaumur proposed a new scale in 1730 that set the freezing-point at 0° and the boiling-point at 80°. This scale is now obsolete, but I include it for science historians. Each °Réaumur is equal to 5/4 of a °C, so °R*5/4=°C , °R*9/4+32=°F , and °R*5/4+273.15=°K. C E L S I U S (thermometric scale) Named after Anders Celsius (1701-1744), Swedish astronomer. In 1742 Celsius proposed a 100-degree (centigrade) scale (from 0° to 100°). (Because centigrades and grades were also measures of angle, the Centigrade scale was officially renamed the Celsius scale in 1948.) K E L V I N (absolute scale) Named after William Thomson, 1st Lord Kelvin (1824-1907), Scottish engineer, mathematician and physicist. Around 1862, Kelvin (in collaboration with J.P. Joule) proposed an absolute scale of temperature based on laws of heat rather than the on the freezing / boiling-points of water. From this work came the idea of absolute zero -- the temperature below which it is not possible to go (the point at which all molecular movement theoretically ceases). Absolute zero is 0°K (-273.15° Celsius). The Kelvin scale uses the same size degree increments as the Celsius scale, and is widely used by astronomers and physicists. R A N K I N E (absolute scale) Named after William John Macquorn Rankine (1820-1872), Scottish engineer and physicist. Rankine promoted the Kelvin scale, but using the 180-degree increment of the Fahrenheit scale. Absolute zero on the Rankine scale is -459.67° Fahrenheit. Scientific computations involving gasses are often done in Rankine or Kelvin. |
| A N I M A L B O D Y T E M P E R A T U R E S |
Living organisms have different patterns of body temperature regulation. Body temperature regulation can be described as: ENDOTHERMIC Body temperature depends primarily on heat produced by metabolism and the dissipation of that heat to the environment (e.g., mammals and birds). ECTOTHERMIC Body temperature depends primarily on absorption of heat energy from the environment (e.g., reptiles, amphibians, most fish, insects). POIKILOTHERMIC A pattern of temperature regulation characterized by large variations in body temperature that are due to changing environmental conditions. HOMEOTHERMIC A pattern of temperature regulation characterized by small variations in body temperature, usually less than plus or minus 2°C. Below are a few examples of animals with different patterns of temperature regulation, and the typical body temperature for a healthy adult of that species. |
| COMMON NAME | GENUS SPECIES | °F BODY TEMP | °C BODY TEMP | REGULATION TYPE |
| Human | Homo sapiens | 98.6° F | 37° C | endotherm, homeotherm |
| Dog | Canis familaris | 102° F (± 1°) | 39° C (± 1°) | endotherm, homeotherm |
| Cat | Felis catus | 101.5° F (± 1°) | 38.5° C (± 1°) | endotherm, homeotherm |
| Pigeon | Colomba ssp. | 106.6° F | 41° C | endotherm, homeotherm |
| Lizard | Sceloporus spp. | 87.8° - 95° F | 31° - 35° C | ectotherm, poikilotherm |
| Fish (Sockeye Salmon) | Onchorhynchus nerka | 41° - 62.6° F | 5° - 17° C | ectotherm, poikilotherm |
| Fish (Rainbow Trout) | Salmo gairdneri | 53.6° - 64.4° F | 12° - 18° C | ectotherm, poikilotherm |
| Rattlesnake | Sistrurus miliarius barbouri | 59° - 98.6° F | 15° - 37° C | ectotherm, poikilotherm |
| Grasshopper | Melanoplus sanguinipes | 101.5° - 108° F | 38.6° - 42.2° C | ectotherm, poikilotherm |
| Educational resource by M.K. Holder, Ph.D. |
| convert temperature . temperature scales . animal body temperatures |
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