Celsius to Newton
°C
N
Conversion History
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Quick Reference Table (Celsius to Newton)
| Celsius (°C) | Newton (N) |
|---|---|
| -40 | -13.2 |
| 0 | 0 |
| 20 | 6.6 |
| 37 | 12.21 |
| 100 | 33 |
About Celsius (°C)
Celsius (°C) is the most widely used temperature scale in the world, adopted by every country except the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar for everyday and scientific use. Zero degrees Celsius is defined as the freezing point of water at standard atmospheric pressure; 100°C is the boiling point. Originally called centigrade because of its 100-degree span between these two reference points, it was renamed Celsius in 1948 to honor Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius. It is the practical temperature scale for weather, cooking, medicine, and most scientific work outside thermodynamics. Body temperature is 37°C; a comfortable room is typically 20–22°C.
Water freezes at 0°C and boils at 100°C. Normal human body temperature is 37°C. A warm summer day in southern Europe is around 35°C.
Etymology: Named after Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who proposed a 100-degree scale in 1742. His original scale was inverted — 0°C meant boiling, 100°C meant freezing — and was reversed by fellow Swede Carl Linnaeus shortly after his death.
About Newton (N)
The Newton scale is an obsolete historical temperature scale proposed by Isaac Newton around 1701, predating both Celsius and Fahrenheit. It sets 0°N at the freezing point of water and 33°N at the boiling point — a 33-degree span. Newton chose 33 because it divides cleanly into thirds and twelfths, reflecting duodecimal arithmetic conventions of the time. Body temperature is approximately 12.2°N. Newton calibrated his scale using linseed oil as the thermometric fluid. His scale influenced later thermometrists but was never widely adopted and is today of primarily historical and educational interest, appearing in scientific history discussions and temperature conversion tools.
Body temperature (37°C) is approximately 12.2°N on Newton's scale. A warm summer day of 25°C equals about 8.25°N.
Etymology: Proposed by Isaac Newton (1643–1727) in his 1701 paper "Scala Graduum Caloris" (Scale of the Degrees of Heat), published anonymously in Philosophical Transactions. Newton used a linseed oil thermometer and calibrated it against the freezing point of water and body temperature, later extending it to a second reference at the boiling point.
Celsius – Frequently Asked Questions
Which countries use Celsius?
Almost every country in the world uses Celsius for everyday temperatures — weather forecasts, cooking, and body temperature. The United States, Liberia, and Myanmar are the principal exceptions, using Fahrenheit for daily life, though US scientists use Celsius for research.
What is absolute zero in Celsius?
Absolute zero — the theoretical minimum temperature where molecular motion effectively ceases — is −273.15°C. This corresponds to 0 K on the kelvin scale. It is not physically achievable but has been approached to within a few billionths of a degree in laboratory conditions.
How do you convert Celsius to Fahrenheit?
Multiply the Celsius value by 9/5 (or 1.8) and add 32. For example, 20°C × 1.8 + 32 = 68°F. A quick mental approximation: double the Celsius value and add 30 (gives ±2°F accuracy for typical weather temperatures).
What is normal body temperature in Celsius?
Normal human body temperature is approximately 37.0°C (98.6°F), though it varies by individual, time of day, and measurement site. A temperature above 38.0°C is generally considered a fever; hypothermia is diagnosed below 35.0°C.
What is the difference between Celsius and centigrade?
Centigrade is the old name for the same scale — both refer to a 100-degree span between water's freezing and boiling points ("centi" = 100, "grade" = step). The name was officially changed to Celsius in 1948 to avoid confusion with the angular unit also called "grade" (or "gradian") in some languages.
Newton – Frequently Asked Questions
Who invented the Newton temperature scale?
Isaac Newton proposed the scale in 1701 in his paper "Scala Graduum Caloris", published anonymously in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. He used a linseed oil thermometer and calibrated it against the freezing point of water and body temperature as fixed reference points.
What are the reference points of the Newton scale?
0°N is the freezing point of water and 33°N is the boiling point of water, giving a 33-degree range. Newton also used body temperature (approximately 12°N) and "the greatest summer heat" as intermediate calibration points. These are the same two endpoints used by later scales, just with different degree spans.
Why did Newton choose 33 degrees for boiling water?
Newton chose 33 because it factors neatly: 33 = 3 × 11, and one-third of 33 (11°N) corresponds approximately to body temperature in his calibration. The choice reflects his preference for divisions into thirds and twelfths, common in pre-metric scientific notation, rather than the decimal basis used by Celsius.
How does the Newton scale compare to Celsius?
Newton and Celsius share the same zero (freezing water = 0), but Newton's boiling point is 33°N versus 100°C. To convert: °N = °C × 33/100 (or × 0.33). Room temperature (20°C) is 6.6°N; body temperature (37°C) is 12.21°N.
Is the Newton temperature scale still used today?
No. The Newton scale was never widely adopted and fell out of use by the mid-18th century as Fahrenheit and Celsius became dominant. It survives today only in historical accounts of thermometry and in temperature conversion tools as an educational curiosity about the origins of quantitative temperature measurement.