Scale of temperature the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death. The degree Celsius (°C) can refer to a specific temperature on the Celsius scale as well as a unit to indicate a temperature "interval "(a difference between two temperatures or an uncertainty). From 1744 until 1954, 0 °C was defined as the freezing point of water and 100 °C was defined as the boiling point of water, both at a pressure of one standard atmosphere. Although these defining correlations are commonly taught in schools today, by international agreement the unit "degree Celsius" and
Negative temperature Negative temperature In quantum thermodynamics, certain systems can achieve negative temperature; that is, their temperature can be expressed as a negative quantity on the Kelvin or Rankine scales. A system with a truly negative temperature on the Kelvin scale is "hotter" than any system with a positive temperature. If a negative-temperature system and a positive-temperature system come in contact, heat will flow from the negative- to the positive-temperature system. A standard example of such a system is population inversion in laser physics. Temperature is loosely interpreted as the average kinetic energy of the system's particles. The existence of negative temperature,