Information about Fahrenheit

Degrees Fahrenheit is a temperature unit named after the German physician Fahrenheit.

Fahrenheit was inspired by Rømer's thermometer and used it as a model for his own temperature scale. The so called Rømer scale has got two fixed points. The freezing point of water is defined as 7.5 degree and the boiling point of water is defined as 60 degree.

Fahrenheit used for his zero point the deepest temperature of his home town of the winter 1708/09. He defined 32 degrees Fahrenheit as freezing point of water. Furthermore Fahrenheit used a third fixed point. 96 degrees Fahrenheit equals the body temperature of a healthy human. This third fixed point was adjusted to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit later.

The Fahrenheit scale had been used in Europe for a long time until the Celsius scale was officially introduced. Today the Fahrenheit scale is used in the USA and some other countries.