Someone tells you that she has a fever of 101 degrees. Does she mean it on the Celsius scale or Fahrenheit scale?
She means the temperature on the Fahrenheit scale. A fever of 101 degrees refers to 101 °F.
On the Celsius scale, 101 °C would be an extremely high temperature that would be fatal for a human being, as the human body cannot survive such high temperatures.
The normal body temperature is 37.0 °C (98.6 °F), and fever typically causes temperatures above this normal range but within survivable limits.
A fever of 101 °F equals approximately 38.3 °C, which is a moderate fever and is a reasonable body temperature for someone who is ill.
Explanation
The chapter states that the normal temperature of a healthy human body is 37.0 °C or 98.6 °F. It also mentions that 'The temperature of human beings does not normally go below 35 °C or above 42 °C.' A temperature of 101 °C would far exceed the survivable limit for humans. The Fahrenheit scale is commonly used for body temperature in some countries (like the United States). The conversion shows that 101 °F is approximately 38.3 °C, which represents a moderate fever - a reasonable temperature for an ill person. This is why when someone mentions '101 degrees' in the context of fever, they are referring to the Fahrenheit scale.
Solution Steps
The temperature refers to the Fahrenheit scale (101 °F)
101 °C would be fatal as it exceeds the human survivable temperature limit
Normal body temperature is 37.0 °C (98.6 °F)
101 °F equals approximately 38.3 °C, representing a moderate fever