How does the size of one Celsius degree compare with that of one Fahrenheit degree and one Kelvin?

1. Celsius degrees and Kelvins are the same size, and Fahrenheit degrees are larger.
2. The basic temperature intervals are the same on all three scales.
3. Kelvins are smaller than Celsius degrees, which are smaller than Fahrenheit degrees.
4. Celsius degrees and Kelvins are the same size, and Fahrenheit degrees are smaller.
5. Kelvins are larger than Celsius degrees, which are larger than Fahrenheit degrees.

Celsius and Kelvin Size: The size of one degree Celsius (°C) is equivalent to one Kelvin (K). This means that a change of 1 °C is equal to a change of 1 K. The Kelvin scale is an absolute temperature scale, starting at absolute zero (0 K), while the Celsius scale is based on the freezing (0 °C) and boiling points (100 °C) of water.

Fahrenheit Size: One degree Fahrenheit (°F) is smaller than one degree Celsius. The size of a Fahrenheit degree is about 5/9 the size of a Celsius degree. Therefore, a change of 1 °C corresponds to a change of 1.8 °F (or 1 °F corresponds to a change of about 0.56 °C).

rajaaryan rajaaryan · Answer 2 · 2023-10-26T06:11:49-04:00

Final answer:

4. Celsius degrees and Kelvins are the same size and Fahrenheit degrees are smaller.

On both the Celsius and Kelvin temperature scales, one degree is the same size, as they define the freezing and boiling points of water 100 degrees apart. The Fahrenheit scale defines these points 180 degrees apart, making one degree Celsius or Kelvin 1.8 times larger than one degree Fahrenheit. Thus, Celsius and Kelvin degrees are the same size, but larger than Fahrenheit degrees.

Explanation:

The comparison of the size of one degree in Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin reveals significant differences among the temperature scales. On the Celsius and Kelvin scales, the size of one degree is exactly the same because the scales are defined so that the freezing and boiling points of water are 100 degrees apart. Therefore, a change of 1°C is equivalent to a change of 1 K. However, the Fahrenheit scale is based on the freezing and boiling points of water being 180 degrees apart. Consequently, one degree on the Celsius scale is 1.8 times larger than one degree on the Fahrenheit scale, which is equal to the ratio of 9/5.

Therefore, the correct answer to the question of how the size of one Celsius degree compares with that of one Fahrenheit degree and one Kelvin is: Celsius degrees and Kelvins are the same size and Fahrenheit degrees are smaller. Answer choice number 4 reflects this relationship accurately.