Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 September 1902 — FAHRENHEIT THERMOMETER. [ARTICLE]

FAHRENHEIT THERMOMETER.

Brigln of a Scientific Instrument in Everyday Use. Sir Samuel Wilks, writing to Knowledge, gives the history of the origin of Fahrenheit’s thermometer, which is generally used in this country. It was teally Intented by Sir Isaac Newton, and the starting point of his scale was the heat of the human body. Newton’s paper is to be found In the “Phlloaophlcal Transactions” for the year 1701. He describes his Instrument as a glass tube filled with linseed oil, and to it he attached a scale to measure the degree of beat of the liquid Into which he plunged It His lowest point was that of freezing, as his highest was that of boiling Nvater. He chose for the starting point on bls scale the heat of the human body, and this he called by the round number 12, and duodecimal system being then in use—that is, he divided the space between the freezing point and the temperature of the body into 12 parts. He further stated that the boiling point would be about 80, as it was nearly three times that of the human body. A few years afterward, when Fahrenheit was working on the subject of heat, he took Newton’s Instrument for his experiments, but finding that scale not minute enough he divided each degree into two parts, and so made it 24 degrees Instead of 12. He also did more, for, finding he could obtain lower temperatures than freezing, and notably that of ice and salt mixed together, he took this for his starting point It was from this point he began to count 24 degrees up to body heat. This made, by his measurements, 8 the point of freezing. Bolling point he made 53. It then became zero, freezing 8, body heat 24, and boiling water 53. This was really the same- as Newton’s, only the scale started lower and the numbers were doubled. Later on, finding that he could measure increments of heat more minutely, Fahrenheit divided each degree into four parts. It will now be seen that if the numbers just mentioned are multiplied by four we have the thermometer which is now in use.—New Orleans Times-DemocraL