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AMA Manual of Style (10th ed.) : A Guide for Authors and Editors

AMA Manual of Style Committee

Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Print Publication Date:
Mar 2007
Print ISBN-13:
9780195176339
Published to AMA Manual of Style:
Apr 2009
DOI:
10.1093/jama/9780195176339.001.0001
© American Medical Association
Contents

Temperature

Chapter:
Units of Measure
Author(s):

Phil B. Fontanarosa,

Stacy Christiansen

18.5.2 Temperature

The Celsius scale (°C) is used for temperature measurement rather than the base SI unit for temperature, the kelvin (K), which has little application in medicine. Although both kelvin and Celsius scales have the same interval value for temperature differences, they differ in their absolute values. For example, a temperature of 273.15 K is equal to 0°C. Temperature values generally are reported in degrees Celsius, and values given in degrees Fahrenheit (°F) are converted to degrees Celsius (°C).

(°F − 32)(0.556) = °C