Fahrenheit , (Gabriel) Daniel

Fahrenheit , (Gabriel) Daniel
(1686–1736) German physicist
Possibly owing to a business failure, Fahrenheit emigrated to Amsterdam from his native Danzig (now Gdańsk in Poland) to become a glass blower and instrument maker. He specialized in the making of meteorological instruments, and proceeded to develop a reliable and accurate thermometer. Galileo had invented the thermometer in about 1600, using changes in air volume as an indicator. Since the volume of air also varied considerably with changes in atmospheric pressure liquids of various kinds were quickly substituted. Fahrenheit was the first to use mercury in 1714. He fixed his zero point by using the freezing point of a mixture of ice and salt as this gave him the lowest temperature he could reach. His other fixed point was taken from the temperature of the human body, which he put at 96°. Given these two fixed points the freezing and boiling points of water then work out at the familiar 32° and 212°. One advantage of the system is that, for most ordinary purposes, negative degrees are rarely needed.
Using his thermometer, Fahrenheit measured the boiling point of various liquids and found that each had a characteristic boiling point, which changed with changes in atmospheric pressure.

Scientists. . 2011.

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  • Fahrenheit, Gabriel Daniel — Fahrenheit, Gabriel Daniel, zu Ende des 17. Jahrhunderts zu Danzig geboren, bekannter Physiker, war der Erste, welcher genau übereinstimmende Thermometer verfertigte, deren Gradeintheilung noch jetzt zum Unterschiede von denen Reaumur s (s. d.)… …   Damen Conversations Lexikon

  • Fahrenheit,Gabriel Daniel — Fahr·en·heit (fărʹən hīt , fäʹrən ), Gabriel Daniel. 1686 1736. German born physicist who invented the mercury thermometer (1714) and devised the Fahrenheit temperature scale. * * * …   Universalium

  • Fahrenheit, Gabriel Daniel — ► (1686 1736) Físico alemán. Ideó una escala termométrica usada aún en Gran Bretaña y E.U.A. En ella el punto de fusión del hielo se hace corresponder con el grado 32 oF y el punto de ebullición del agua con el 212 oF. Al dividir este intervalo… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • FAHRENHEIT, GABRIEL DANIEL —    a celebrated physicist, born at Danzig; spent much of his life in England, but finally settled in Holland; devoted himself to physical research; is famed for his improvement of the thermometer by substituting quicksilver for spirits of wine… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit — Fahrenheits Geburtshaus in der Danziger Hundegasse heute Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (* 24. Mai 1686 in Danzig; † 16. September 1736 in Den Haag) war ein deutscher Physiker und Erfinder von Messinstrumenten. Nach ihm wurde die Temperatureinheit… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit — Gabriel Fahrenheit Lieu de naissance de Fahrenheit Pour les articles homonymes, voir Gabriel et Fahrenheit (homonymie) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit — noun German physicist who invented the mercury thermometer and developed the scale of temperature that bears his name (1686 1736) • Syn: ↑Fahrenheit • Instance Hypernyms: ↑physicist …   Useful english dictionary

  • Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit — Born May 12, 1686 (in old British sources as 14 May Old Style) Danzig (Gdańsk), Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth …   Wikipedia

  • Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit — Fahrenheits Geburtshaus in der Danziger Hundegasse heute Daniel Gabri …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Fahrenheit — (físico alemán) V. «escala Fahrenheit, grado Fahrenheit». * * * Fahrenheit. □ V. grado Fahrenheit. * * * Fahrenheit, Gabriel Daniel …   Enciclopedia Universal

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