Definition

A thermodynamic scale of temperature (t°C) defined as a function of the KELVIN TEMPERATURE SCALE (T°K) by the relationship t°C = T°K 273.15. Name for Anders Celsius (1701-44), Swedish astronomer who first described, in 1742, the centigrade temperature scale. NOTE. According to a resolution of the Ninth Interna­tional Conference on Weights and Measures (1948), temperature should be designated 'degrees Celsius' and the designation 'degrees centigrade' should be discontinued.