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Temperature changes: The conceptual realignment of a quantity term.

Jon Dickinson¹

¹UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS), 22 Gordon Sq, London, WC1H 0AW, UK.

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science

|December 25, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Daniel Fahrenheit's thermometers spurred a conceptual shift in how temperature was understood in the 18th century. This study traces the evolution of temperature as a measurable quantity, linking thermometry and meteorology to this scientific concept change.

Keywords:

Conceptual change Fahrenheit Meteorology Quantity Temperature Thermometry

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Area of Science:

History of Science
Scientific Terminology Evolution
History of Meteorology

Background:

John McCaskey (2020) posited that Daniel Fahrenheit's thermometers drove the 18th-century conceptual change of temperature.
The term "temperature" historically lacked a consistent, quantifiable meaning.
Previous conceptual change models may not fully account for scientific terms like temperature.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the usage of the term "temperature" in the Philosophical Transactions during the 18th century.
To trace the conceptual change of temperature from its introduction to its establishment as a numerical value.
To refine existing theories of conceptual change to better accommodate scientific terms.

Main Methods:

Historical analysis of the term "temperature" in the Philosophical Transactions.
Tracking the period from the Fahrenheit thermometer's creation to the journal's first use of numerical temperature.
Identifying links between thermometry, meteorology, and the conceptual shift in temperature.

Main Results:

Four key strands connect thermometry and meteorology to temperature's conceptual change: James Jurin's weather network, Fahrenheit thermometer dissemination, increased meteorological use of "temperature," and its broadening scope.
The realignment of "temperature" with thermometry established a new conception of temperature as a numerical reading.
This historical survey indicates that temperature's conceptual change necessitates modifications to LaPorte's (2004) precisification account.

Conclusions:

The 18th-century conceptual change of temperature was significantly influenced by the development and adoption of Fahrenheit thermometers.
A refined model of conceptual change should allow for greater flexibility in a term's scope, including the potential abandonment of older meanings.
Conceptual changes in science can occur tacitly, without explicit stipulation, as seen with the term temperature.