Why is the word "degrees" appear after temperature?

Question

readings if temperature is measured in kelvins? Why if degrees are measured for angles?

Answer 1

"degree" is a generic term for any unit. It's just tradition. Modern scientific terminology omits it for consistency with how other units are described. For example, you just say something's temperature is 300 Kelvin, abbreviated as 300 K. No more funny little circle superscript for "degrees". To be perfectly consistent, you'd have to say 300 Kelvins (like 300 kilometers), but that's not the convention. Baby steps, baby, steps.

Answer 2

its a unit of measurement, the smart alecs who names angular measurements and temperature decided to use the same word for any reason. If it bugs you that much you can always either use minutes to measure angles (of which a circle has 6,400)

or Kelvin to measure temperature (and NO kelvin is not degrees!! thats only celsius, a cup of water may be 280 kelvin NOT 280 degrees kelvin, its just notation really.)

Answer 3

It should absolutely not.

The units in the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales are degrees, though the size of the degrees and zero point are clearly different.

In the Kelvin scale the unit is NOT degrees - it is an absolute scale and so 100 K is correct while 100 degress K is NOT.

Answer 4

that's "Degree Kelvin" ... same as Degree Celsius, except it starts at Absolute Zero.

Dictionary.com says a degree is "any of a series of steps or stages, as in a process or course of action; a point in any scale."

from some old language like Latin, meaning "Of a step"

Answer 5

Dr R is right, the word 'degrees' is redundant when quoting temperatures. Note that the BBC weather forecasters say "23 (or whatever) Celsius".

Answer 6

coz that's the unit temperature is measured in!

Answer 7

Height is in inches.
Weight is in pounds.
Temperature is in degrees.

I have no idea why.