Centigrade
Definition and meaning of Centigrade in chemistry.
Centigrade is a standard temperature scale used globally for everyday weather and scientific measurements. It is fundamentally based on the exact freezing and boiling points of pure liquid water. Today, the global scientific community officially calls this exact same measurement system the Celsius scale.
In more detail
The Centigrade scale provides a very simple way to track changes in thermal heat energy. On this metric scale, pure water freezes into solid ice at exactly zero degrees. It reliably boils into a gaseous vapor at exactly one hundred degrees.
These set points only hold true under standard atmospheric pressure found directly at sea level. The Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius originally proposed this helpful temperature framework in the 1740s. He mathematically divided the gap between water's phase changes into one hundred equal steps.
This exact division of one hundred gave the scale its historical name of Centigrade. The prefix centi means one hundred, while grade translates to a single step or degree. Almost all chemistry research laboratories use this scale to monitor their daily chemical reactions.
However, rigorous scientific calculations often require an absolute temperature scale that lacks negative numbers. Chemists must frequently convert their Centigrade measurements into Kelvin for these complex math problems. You can easily find the Kelvin temperature by adding 273.15 to the Centigrade value.
A common student misconception is that Centigrade and Fahrenheit degrees represent the same amount of heat. A single Centigrade degree actually represents a much larger change in real physical temperature.
Key facts
| Field | General Chemistry |
|---|---|
| Modern Name | Celsius scale |
| Water Freezing Point | 0 degrees (at standard pressure) |
| Water Boiling Point | 100 degrees (at standard pressure) |
| Kelvin Conversion | K = °C + 273.15 |
| Originator | Anders Celsius (1742) |
A comfortable room temperature in a standard chemistry laboratory hovers around 22 degrees Centigrade. Chemists try to keep this temperature very stable to ensure their experiments remain entirely predictable. If a student needs to use this room temperature in a gas law calculation, they must convert it. They simply add 273.15 to get a final working temperature of 295.15 Kelvin.
Frequently asked questions
Why was this temperature scale historically named Centigrade?
The name comes from the Latin prefix for one hundred and the word for a step. There are exactly one hundred degrees or steps between water freezing and boiling on this scale. The scientific community later renamed it Celsius to honor its original creator.
Do chemists use the Centigrade scale for complex thermodynamic calculations?
They measure temperatures in Centigrade in the lab because it is easy to read. However, they almost always convert these numbers to Kelvin before doing any math. The Kelvin scale starts at absolute zero, which prevents errors caused by negative temperature values.
How does a degree Centigrade compare to a degree Fahrenheit?
A single degree on the Centigrade scale represents a larger jump in temperature. An increase of one degree Centigrade equals an increase of almost two degrees Fahrenheit. This is why the Fahrenheit scale requires a larger number to represent the exact same temperature.