Convert Wedgwood to Celsius easily.

Ever wondered how 18th century potters measured kiln temperatures without digital thermometers? Meet the Wedgwood scale, a fascinating relic from the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. While you'll never use it to check today's weather, this obsolete temperature system tells a compelling story about human ingenuity. Let's explore how to bridge the gap between Josiah Wedgwood's ceramic innovations and our modern Celsius scale.

Unit definitions

What is a Wedgwood (°W)?

Description: An historical temperature unit created by Josiah Wedgwood for ceramic firing
Symbol: °W
Common uses: Measuring kiln temperatures in 18th-19th century pottery production
Definition: 1°W equals approximately 130°C, starting from a baseline of -150°C

What is a Celsius (°C)?

Description: The standard metric temperature scale used worldwide
Symbol: °C
Common uses: Weather reporting, scientific measurements, cooking
Definition: 0°C (water freezing point) to 100°C (water boiling point) at sea level

Conversion formula

Celsius = (Wedgwood × 130) - 150
Wedgwood = (Celsius + 150) / 130

Example calculations

1. Converting 3°W to Celsius:
   (3 × 130) = 390
   390 - 150 = 240°C
2. Converting 900°C to Wedgwood:
   900 + 150 = 1050
   1050 / 130 ≈ 8.1°W

Conversion tables

Wedgwood to Celsius

Celsius to Wedgwood

From clay shrinkage to Celsius: The Wedgwood story

Josiah Wedgwood (yes, that Wedgwood of fine china fame) faced a problem in 1782. His pottery kilns needed precise temperature control, but existing mercury thermometers couldn't survive the extreme heat. His solution? Create a temperature scale based on clay shrinkage rates. Small clay cylinders would shrink predictably when heated, allowing potters to estimate temperatures indirectly. While primitive, this system let Wedgwood consistently produce high-quality ceramics that made his company famous.

The scale had its limitations. Each 'Wedgwood degree" represented about 130°C – hardly precise by today's standards. But in an era before standardized measurement, it gave potters their first reliable way to compare firing conditions. Modern analysis shows Wedgwood's measurements were usually within 50°C of actual values, a remarkable achievement for the time.

Interesting facts

1. The highest recorded Wedgwood measurement was 12°W (1,410°C), used for firing specialty porcelains
2. Charles Darwin (Josiah's grandson) used Wedgwood scale notes in his geological research
3. Original Wedgwood pyrometers sell for over $5,000 at antique auctions.
4. The scale remained in use until electric kilns with thermocouples became common in the 1920s
5. NASA engineers studied Wedgwood's methods when designing heat shields for early spacecraft

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