Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1916-04-14
MAYCHANCESTYLE
OFTHERMOMETERS
Scientists Interested In Plan to
Adopt Centigrade instrument.
BASED ON DECIMAL SYSTEM

Campaign For Adoption Is On.
Shall the use Of the Fahrenheit Their
mometer be discontinued in all govern
ment scientific departments throughout
the United States? That is question
being seriously considered by leading
scientific men in all sections Of the ma
ton. according to the Boston Herald,
}their opinions and advice having been
asked by Congressman Albert johnson
of Washington, the author Of a bill
that would Danish the thermometer
now in use for government work and
practically universally by the average
citizen.
Though Congressman Johnson's lit
erature does not state what thermOm-
eter he would substitute for the Fab
renheit. the centigrade is referred to
by him as being widely in use already
among scientific men in some govern
ment departments other than the
weather bureau.
The centigrade, being based OH the
decimal system, is regarded as having
the same advantage over the Fahren.
heit that the American system Of coin
age, involving cents. dimes and dol
lars has over the more ancient English
system of pounds, shillings and pence.
The Fahrenheit thermometer, which
has been in common use in this coun-
try for generations, was invented
about 1714 by Gabriel Daniel Fahren-
heit of Amsterdam. Previous to that
date thermometers had been very
crude affairs.
Tho Principal Differences.
The centigrade thermometer, invent
ed later and still widely used in Eu-
rope, differs from the Fahrenheit in
having the zero at the point marked
80, or freezing, on the Fahrenheit.
The centigrade is divided into 100
degrees between it's zero and the wa.
ter boiling point, which, according to
Fahrenheit, is 212 degrees. In other
words. the $50 degrees intervening be-
tween freezing and boiling on the
Fahrenheit are reduced to 100 degrees
on the centigrade.
The American Association For the
Advancement Of Science, having a
membership of 5000. is credited with
being in favor of the change. Never
theless the father Of the bill has APP
pealed to many other scientific socie-
ties in order to avoid the charge that
the measure was rushed through con-
gress. DR.. s. w. StrattOn, director Of
the national bureau of standards, is
at the head Of a committee of scien.
lists furthering the bill.
The bill providing for the change
was introduced in congress Dec. last
but no definite action has yet been TAX
en- by congress on it. Mr.. Johnson's
appeal to scientific men for support in
his undertaking was made last month
He claims that the Fahrenheit Their.
mometric scale is irrational and incon-
venient and nuisance and that the
only question is as to how soon it
should be abolished
He thinks that perhaps his bill should
be amended to postpone the abolition
ten or fifteen years. but that I'VE
should i'll deserve our reputation as a
progressive nation if some date is not
set before long"
Would Lead to Inconvenience.
He says that. while the change to
some other Thermometer will he at
tended by considerable inconvenience.
delay will increase rather than lessen
the disadvantage and viii add to the
ridicule that we have already earned
by clinging so long to the worst Their
mOmetric scale and one hat Is bound
to be abandoned In the near future
Referring TO the repeated recommen
datiOns by the pan, american scientific
congress to the establishment of the
pan American n!otcp"olr@icn. Se"vire.
he declares that The first requisite will
he the abandonment of the Fahrenheit
scale
AS proof that the government depart
ments already have In"pr II rln',e the
chan"e he cites the fact t'.a. II publ
cations intended FOR Srent;',s many
bureaus already use TIE renrigrade
thermOmetric scale exclusively. He
fears. however. that serious criticism
; would arise if publications for the gen
eral public We're to use any IN; the
Fahrenheit scale without any express
mandate from cCaGress. and he thinks
that congress will not act except in re
Spouse to an unn::stakable demand by
the scientific world
Mr.. Johnson urges that no person in
terested in the question excuse himself
from advocating the change on the
plea that "others will push the bill. "
i Steps have been taken to form local
committees in various sections of the
country. to be merged in a national or.
ganizatiOn, the object Of which shall be
to enlist the cooperation Of every or.
ganization and individual calculated to
appreciate the advantage Of the change
and to exert influence on individual
congressman.
Has Travelled 100000 Miles.