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Ch. 17 - Temperature, Thermal Expansion, and the Ideal Gas Law
Giancoli Douglas - Physics for Scientists and Engineers 5th edition
Giancoli Douglas5th editionPhysics for Scientists and EngineersISBN: 9780137488179Not the one you use?Change textbook
All textbooksGiancoli Douglas 5th editionCh. 17 - Temperature, Thermal Expansion, and the Ideal Gas LawProblem 5
Chapter 17, Problem 5

A thermometer tells you that you have a fever of 38.5°C. What is this in Fahrenheit?

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Start with the formula to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit: F=95⁢C+32, where F is the temperature in Fahrenheit and C is the temperature in Celsius.
Substitute the given Celsius temperature (38.5°C) into the formula: F=95⁢38.5+32.
Simplify the multiplication term: Calculate 95⁢38.5.
Add 32 to the result of the multiplication to complete the conversion: F=(result of multiplication)+32.
The final value of F will give the temperature in Fahrenheit.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Temperature Scales

Temperature can be measured using different scales, the most common being Celsius (°C) and Fahrenheit (°F). The Celsius scale is based on the freezing and boiling points of water, while the Fahrenheit scale is based on a different set of reference points. Understanding how these scales relate to each other is essential for converting temperatures accurately.
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Conversion Formula

To convert a temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit, the formula used is F = (C × 9/5) + 32. This formula accounts for the difference in the size of the degree increments between the two scales. Mastery of this formula is crucial for solving problems that require temperature conversion.
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Thermal Equilibrium

Thermal equilibrium refers to the state in which two objects in contact do not exchange heat, meaning they are at the same temperature. Understanding this concept is important when discussing temperature measurements, as it ensures that the thermometer accurately reflects the temperature of the object being measured, such as the human body in this case.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

The Eiffel Tower (Fig. 17–20) is built of wrought iron approximately 300 m tall. Estimate how much its height changes between January (average temperature of 2°C) and July (average temperature of 25°C). Ignore the angles of the iron beams and treat the tower as a vertical beam.

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Textbook Question

The density of water at 4°C is 1.00 x 10³ kg / m³. What is water’s density at 94°C? Assume a constant coefficient of volume expansion.

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Textbook Question

In an alcohol-in-glass thermometer, the alcohol column has length 12.61 cm at 0.0°C and length 22.79 cm at 100.0°C. What is the temperature if the column has length 14.40 cm?

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Textbook Question

(I) (a) “Room temperature” is often taken to be 68°F. What is this on the Celsius scale?

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