Dumb Journalists

[keiranhalcyon31]

From the Associated Press, in regards to the recent overpass collapse in San Francisco:

"The steel supporting the overpass turned pliable after the gasoline-fed fire below reached temperatures up to 2,000 degrees - more than four times as hot as the hottest conventional home oven."

No, no, NO! Assuming you meant Fahrenheit, 2000 degrees is not

Comments

[shadow359]

Um...you're going to have to provide a little more context to your assertion that 2,000 degrees Farenheit is not 4x hotter than an oven. As far as I can tell, my oven only is capable of achieving temperatures of 500 degrees farenheit. From there, the math seems obvious.

[keiranhalcyon31]

"Seems" being the operative word.

Here's some food for thought. What's twice as warm as 0 Farenheit?

[shadow359]

Don't patronize me. You and I both know that mathmatically speaking, any factor of zero is still zero. But you also know that doesn't translate to this form of measurement. Even at zero degrees Farenheit, an object is still emitting heat. That heat may be minimal and imeasurable by our 'lay equipment' but it's still there...and thus it can be intensified by a factor of two, or four, or twenty, or what have you. It can similairly be reduced by the same. Thats why we've got negative degrees farenheit. The more applicable question for you to have asked would have "What is twice as warm as zero degrees kelvin" and because 0 degrees Kelvin is considered to be absolute zero, I'd have nothing.

However, since there is still the presence of heat at 0 degrees farenheit, that quantity/meausure/force/radiant energy (Insert applicable noun there) can theoreticaly be doubled. What that result is, I don't know.

[keiranhalcyon31]

Well, so much for hoping you wouldn't get all snippy on me.

Absolute zero is about -460 Farenheit, making 2000 Farenheit about 2.5 times as hot as 500 Farenheit.