This section is from the book "The Engineer's And Mechanic's Encyclopaedia", by Luke Hebert. Also available from Amazon: Engineer's And Mechanic's Encyclopaedia.
Implies that degree of sensible heat, which a body possesses when compared with other bodies. To accurately measure and determine such degrees of heat, so as to be readily comprehended, thermometers have been constructed; in which some universally understood degree of heat, as that of boiling water, is made the basis of the calculation for all other temperatures.
 
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