Question

A change of one degree on the Celsius scale is ___________a change of one degree on the Fahrenheit scale.
A. Equal to
B. Larger than
C. Smaller than
D. Is in the opposite direction of

Answer 1

Hint: Temperature is a quantity that reflects hot and cold in physical terms. It is a thermal energy phenomenon, present in all matter, and is the cause of the heat occurrence, a flow of air when a body is in contact with a colder one.

Complete answer:
The temperature is determined (measured) using a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated on multiple temperature ranges and have traditionally been used to describe different reference points and thermometric substances.
The Celsius scale (formerly called centigrade, denoted \[^\circ C\]), the Fahrenheit scale (denoted \[^\circ F\]), and the Kelvin scale (denoted K) are the most common scales of temperature.
On the Fahrenheit scale, freezing point (lowest point) is $32^\circ $ and boiling point (highest point) is \[212^\circ \] so there are 180 degrees ($180^\circ $) in between. In the Celsius system, there are only 100 (larger) degrees between the lowest and highest point.
So, the ratio between Fahrenheit and Celsius is 180/100 or 1.8 Fahrenheit degrees = 1 Celsius degree.
Example: If a temperature change is marked by $5^\circ C$, from $20^\circ C$ to $25^\circ C$, the corresponding Fahrenheit temperatures increase by $9^\circ F$, from $68^\circ F$ to $77^\circ F$.
Therefore, a change of one degree on the Celsius scale is smaller than a change of one degree on the Fahrenheit scale.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C).

Note: In the International System of Units (SI), kelvin is the base unit of temperature with the unit symbol K. It is named after William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (1824–1907), a Belfast-born Glasgow University engineer and physicist.