3 ms·

Seems it is easy enough to confuse even Wolfram Alpha http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=0+degrees+kelvin+%2B+0+degrees+celsius http://www.wolframalpha.com/i

Seems it is easy enough to confuse even Wolfram Alpha http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=0+degrees+kelvin+%2B+0+degrees+celsius http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=0+degrees+kelvin+%2B+0+... Funnily enough the original query is handled well[1] by W|A: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=0+degrees+celsius+%2B+0+degrees+celsius http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=0+degrees+celsius+%2B+0... And the query that fails in Wolfram Alpha, works fine in Google's Calculator: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=0+degrees+kelvin+%2B+0+degrees+celsius http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&#3... :) 1: By "well", we probably mean according to intuition

nkassis 16y ago
That last one is odd. Should it not convert them first on the same base first? But then which on should it convert to? If you go for 0 celsius to 273.15 K then you'd get 0 K + 0 C = 273.15K if you do the other way you get -273.15 C. Whoa now I have a new tool to explain that AB is not always = BA to friend ;)
- Retric 16y ago
  No, swapping them gives the same value. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=0+degrees+celsius+%2B+0+degrees+kelvin+&cts=1282046066594&aq=f&aqi=h1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=0+degrees+celsius+%... Google always convert temperatures to Kelvin for this stuff. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=0+degrees+celsius++*++1.2&cts=1282046202827&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=0+degrees+celsius++... The assumption is if your doing math with temperature you are using it in a physics context.
serichsen 16y ago
Actually, Wolfram Alpha is doing a sensible thing in each case: it is not adding the temperatures, it is comparing them, resp. calculating the difference, when you give different scales. You can see that in the output, where it says "difference". The confusion is all on your side.
- viraptor 16y ago
  I'm not sure about the confusion... the question to W|A is not well-defined, but lets say someone asks you "2 + 4?" and you answer "the difference is 2". Does it make any sense? Not to me.
  - dhimes 16y ago
    The + operator is overloaded. You interpret it automatically as addition; the SE read it as "search (or: tell me about) 2 and 4."
  - serichsen 16y ago
    What if someone writes you the question "what is 12, Park Avenue + 34, Park Avenue?" Wouldn't you assume that this cannot be about addition, and instead tell him who lives in those two places and perhaps the walking distance?

nkassis 16y ago

That last one is odd. Should it not convert them first on the same base first? But then which on should it convert to? If you go for 0 celsius to 273.15 K then you'd get 0 K + 0 C = 273.15K if you do the other way you get -273.15 C. Whoa now I have a new tool to explain that AB is not always = BA to friend ;)

Retric 16y ago
No, swapping them gives the same value. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=0+degrees+celsius+%2B+0+degrees+kelvin+&cts=1282046066594&aq=f&aqi=h1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=0+degrees+celsius+%... Google always convert temperatures to Kelvin for this stuff. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=0+degrees+celsius++*++1.2&cts=1282046202827&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=0+degrees+celsius++... The assumption is if your doing math with temperature you are using it in a physics context.

serichsen 16y ago

Actually, Wolfram Alpha is doing a sensible thing in each case: it is not adding the temperatures, it is comparing them, resp. calculating the difference, when you give different scales. You can see that in the output, where it says "difference". The confusion is all on your side.

viraptor 16y ago
I'm not sure about the confusion... the question to W|A is not well-defined, but lets say someone asks you "2 + 4?" and you answer "the difference is 2". Does it make any sense? Not to me.
- dhimes 16y ago
  The + operator is overloaded. You interpret it automatically as addition; the SE read it as "search (or: tell me about) 2 and 4."
- serichsen 16y ago
  What if someone writes you the question "what is 12, Park Avenue + 34, Park Avenue?" Wouldn't you assume that this cannot be about addition, and instead tell him who lives in those two places and perhaps the walking distance?