In short, you don’t want to use a temperature scale with an arbitrary starting point for doing calculations like this. The freezing point of water is no more or less arbitrary than the freezing point of oxygen or sodium or anything else. It’s just one that’s somewhat useful for everyday use. When handling calculations for multiplying temperature, you want an absolute scale like Kelvin.
absolute scales are still arbitrary. you would probably want to use a scale that measures “perceived heat” which is different than average kinetic energy
Kelvin is just our word for it, but that is the point of “no heat”. It isn’t arbitrary, there is no “negative kelvin” just like you cannot make something colder than absolute zero.
So if you take the difference between “coldest possible temp” and “average summer temp”, then slice it in half, you’re getting temperatures that would kill most life on earth.
In short, you don’t want to use a temperature scale with an arbitrary starting point for doing calculations like this. The freezing point of water is no more or less arbitrary than the freezing point of oxygen or sodium or anything else. It’s just one that’s somewhat useful for everyday use. When handling calculations for multiplying temperature, you want an absolute scale like Kelvin.
Or Rankine if you’re that kind of pervert.
absolute scales are still arbitrary. you would probably want to use a scale that measures “perceived heat” which is different than average kinetic energy
Kelvin is just our word for it, but that is the point of “no heat”. It isn’t arbitrary, there is no “negative kelvin” just like you cannot make something colder than absolute zero.
So if you take the difference between “coldest possible temp” and “average summer temp”, then slice it in half, you’re getting temperatures that would kill most life on earth.
just because it has a reason doesn’t make it not arbitrary. you can ultimately come up with a reason for all arbitrary decisions
Do you not understand what the word arbitrary means?…
maybe you’re the one who doesn’t understand the ramifications of its meaning
Is there a way to distinguish between arbitrary and non-arbitrary? Or is literally everything ever arbitrary?
literally every definition ever is arbitrary
Then what’s the point of even calling it arbitrary? If it covers everything, then there’s no reason for the word.