alleryStart learning →What reference point fixes the zero of the Celsius scale?
AThe boiling point of mercury
BThe melting point of ice cream
CThe average human body temperature
DThe freezing point of water
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. The freezing point of water
1. The Celsius scale is a relative scale built around a chosen reference point.
2. That reference point is the freezing point of water, fixed at zero degrees.
3. Mercury's boiling point and human body temperature are separate facts about temperature but neither serves as the Celsius reference point.
4. So the freezing point of water is correct.
_Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 11 "Thermal Energy, Heat, and Work", section 11.1 Temperature and Thermal Energy_
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