Question

Why do you think scientists needed to invent a temperature scale, instead of deciding if things were hot or cold?

Answer 1

For the same reason that we need units of length, instead of just "long" or "short". And units of distance instead of "near" and "far". And units of time instead of "early" and "late" or "old" and "new". And units of weight instead of "light" and "heavy". And units of sound-pressure instead of "loud" and "soft".

"Hot" and "cold" mean different things to different people, and may even mean different things to the same person at different times.

A person who grew up in Panama, and comes to visit Chicago in July, says it's cold.

A person who lives in Chicago, and goes to visit Jamaica in January, says it's hot.

A professional chef, following a recipe, can't just cook the steak until it's "hot inside". He needs a number, so he can cook it the same every time.

A technician in a Chemistry lab may have two solutions, and he's supposed to pour half of the cooler one into the warmer one. One of them is 25°C and the other one is 22°C. He's got a problem. He can't tell the difference. He never learned temperature scales. All he knows is "hot" and "cold", and they both feel luke-warm to him. He doesn't even have a way to measure them, because temperature scales were never invented. He's stumped. And while he's standing there scratching his head, both solutions drift to the same temperature, and the lab goes up in flames. The technician is so petrified, he becomes overwhelmed with shame and regret, and makes himself sick and feverish. His forehead feels hot but nobody can measure his temperature, so nobody knows how sick he is.

All because Franz Fahrenheit and Sven Celsius had planned to invent measurable scales in their lab, but decided to go fishing that day.