Celsius and Fahrenheit are commonly used and mentioned in every science class. Whether it is during a test or classroom discussion, knowing how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit has always come in handy.
Some students still struggle and find it difficult to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa. If you are one of them, you are not alone.
Even when I was a student, I also struggle because I often confuse one over the other. Since we mostly used Celsius in our everyday life, there are some instances where I confuse Fahrenheit over Celsius.
But once I have a better understanding of their differences, the conversion was a piece of cake.
After I learned how to convert degrees Celsius to Fahrenheit, it becomes easier to solve science problems related to temperature.
It just goes to show that knowing the difference between the two as well as how to convert one over the other would make life a lot easier (especially as a student).
With that, we created to guide to help you better understand the difference between these two temperature units.
Table of Contents
What is the difference?
Celsius
The degrees Celsius is a temperature scale named after Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius. It was originally known as a centigrade scale which came from the Latin word centum (means 100) and gradus (means step).
A Celsius scale is based on the freezing point (0 °C) and boiling point (100 °C) of water.
Almost all countries around the world use Celsius for scale. In the United State, however, Fahrenheit is still the most commonly used unit for everyday life.
Fahrenheit
The degrees Fahrenheit is a temperature measurement proposed by Physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit in 1724.
Unlike Celsius, the freezing point of water in Fahrenheit is 32 while the boiling point is 212.
If you are living in the United States and are used to using Fahrenheit, then you should know how to convert it to Celsius because most of the rest of the world uses degrees Celsius.
For better scale, we have listed the conversion units for 0 °C – 100 °C to Fahrenheit
| Celsius(°C) | Fahrenheit(°F) | |
| 1 °C | 33.8 °F | |
| 2 °C | 35.6 °F | |
| 3 °C | 37.4 °F | |
| 4 °C | 39.2 °F | |
| 5 °C | 41.0 °F | |
| 6 °C | 42.8 °F | |
| 7 °C | 44.6 °F | |
| 8 °C | 46.4 °F | |
| 9 °C | 48.2 °F | |
| 10 °C | 50.0 °F | |
| 11 °C | 51.8 °F | |
| 12 °C | 53.6 °F | |
| 13 °C | 55.4 °F | |
| 14 °C | 57.2 °F | |
| 15 °C | 59.0 °F | |
| 16 °C | 60.8 °F | |
| 17 °C | 62.6 °F | |
| 18 °C | 64.4 °F | |
| 19 °C | 66.2 °F | |
| 20 °C | 68.0 °F | |
| 21 °C | 69.8 °F | room temperature |
| 22 °C | 71.6 °F | |
| 23 °C | 73.4 °F | |
| 24 °C | 75.2 °F | |
| 25 °C | 77.0 °F | |
| 26 °C | 78.8 °F | |
| 27 °C | 80.6 °F | |
| 28 °C | 82.4 °F | |
| 29 °C | 84.2 °F | |
| 30 °C | 86.0 °F | |
| 31 °C | 87.8 °F | |
| 32 °C | 89.6 °F | |
| 33 °C | 91.4 °F | |
| 34 °C | 93.2 °F | |
| 35 °C | 95.0 °F | |
| 36 °C | 96.8 °F | |
| 37 °C | 98.6 °F | average body temperature |
| 38 °C | 100.4 °F | |
| 39 °C | 102.2 °F | |
| 40 °C | 104.0 °F | |
| 41 °C | 105.8 °F | |
| 42 °C | 107.6 °F | |
| 43 °C | 109.4 °F | |
| 44 °C | 111.2 °F | |
| 45 °C | 113.0 °F | |
| 46 °C | 114.8 °F | |
| 47 °C | 116.6 °F | |
| 48 °C | 118.4 °F | |
| 49 °C | 120.2 °F | |
| 50 °C | 122.0 °F | |
| 51 °C | 123.8 °F | |
| 52 °C | 125.6 °F | |
| 53 °C | 127.4 °F | |
| 54 °C | 129.2 °F | |
| 55 °C | 131.0 °F | |
| 56 °C | 132.8 °F | |
| 57 °C | 134.6 °F | |
| 58 °C | 136.4 °F | |
| 59 °C | 138.2 °F | |
| 60 °C | 140.0 °F | |
| 61 °C | 141.8 °F | |
| 62 °C | 143.6 °F | |
| 63 °C | 145.4 °F | |
| 64 °C | 147.2 °F | |
| 65 °C | 149.0 °F | |
| 66 °C | 150.8 °F | |
| 67 °C | 152.6 °F | |
| 68 °C | 154.4 °F | |
| 69 °C | 156.2 °F | |
| 70 °C | 158.0 °F | |
| 71 °C | 159.8 °F | |
| 72 °C | 161.6 °F | |
| 73 °C | 163.4 °F | |
| 74 °C | 165.2 °F | |
| 75 °C | 167.0 °F | |
| 76 °C | 168.8 °F | |
| 77 °C | 170.6 °F | |
| 78 °C | 172.4 °F | |
| 79 °C | 174.2 °F | |
| 80 °C | 176.0 °F | |
| 81 °C | 177.8 °F | |
| 82 °C | 179.6 °F | |
| 83 °C | 181.4 °F | |
| 84 °C | 183.2 °F | |
| 85 °C | 185.0 °F | |
| 86 °C | 186.8 °F | |
| 87 °C | 188.6 °F | |
| 88 °C | 190.4 °F | |
| 89 °C | 192.2 °F | |
| 90 °C | 194.0 °F | |
| 91 °C | 195.8 °F | |
| 92 °C | 197.6 °F | |
| 93 °C | 199.4 °F | |
| 94 °C | 201.2 °F | |
| 95 °C | 203.0 °F | |
| 96 °C | 204.8 °F | |
| 97 °C | 206.6 °F | |
| 98 °C | 208.4 °F | |
| 99 °C | 210.2 °F | |
| 100 °C | 212.0 °F | Boiling point of water |
How to convert?
Since memorizing the whole table above might be a bit too much, we have stated the formula below so that you can easily convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa.
Celsius to Fahrenheit
(°C * 1.8) + 32 = °F
Example:
°C = 35
°F = ?
(°C * 1.8) + 32 = °F
(35 * 1.8) + 32 = °F
(63) +32 = °F
63 + 32 = °F
95 = °F
Fahrenheit to Celsius
(°F – 32) / 1.8 = °C
Example
°F = 104
°C = ?
(°F – 32) ÷ 1.8 = °C
(104 – 32) ÷ 1.8 = °C
(72) ÷ 1.8 = °C
72 ÷ 1.8 = °C
40 = °C
Putting It Into Perspective
Now that you know the conversion formula of these two temperature units, let us now put it into perspective.
| Celsius | Fahrenheit | |
| Boiling Water | 100 | 212 |
| Hot Beverages are frequently served at | 71.1 to 85 | 160 to 185 |
| Body Temperature | 37 | 98.6 |
| Room Temperature | 21 | 69.8 |
| Freezing Point of Water | 0 | |
| Ben n Jerry’s Ice Cream is best served at | -11.1 to -12.2 | 10 – 12 |
Practice Problems
Warmer City
John and I have been planning to move to a warmer city. We are currently looking at Pasadena with an average temperature of 17°C and Boston with an average temperature of 57°F. Which city would be the best place to move in.
Answer: Pasadena
Explanation:
- You can convert Celsius to Fahrenheit
(°C * 1.8) + 32 = °F
(17 * 1.8) + 32 = °F
(30.6) +32 = °F
30.6 + 32 = °F
62.6 = °F
Pasadena has an average temperature of 62.6 °F while Boston has an average temperature of 57°F. Therefore, Pasadena is the warmer city to move to.
- You can convert Fahrenheit to Celsius
(°F – 32) ÷ 1.8 = °C
(57 – 32) ÷ 1.8 = °C
(25) ÷ 1.8 = °C
25 ÷ 1.8 = °C
13.8 = °C
Pasadena has an average temperature of 17 °C while Boston has an average temperature of 13.8 °C. Therefore, Pasadena is the warmer city to move to.
Oven Temperature
I found a cake recipe that states that I should bake it at 200 °F. However, my oven settings are Celsius. At what Celsius degree should I set my oven in?
Answer: 93.3
Explanation: You can convert the degrees Fahrenheit in the recipe to Celsius so that you can bake your cake properly.
(200 – 32) ÷ 1.8 = °C
(57 – 32) ÷ 1.8 = °C
(168) ÷ 1.8 = °C
168 ÷ 1.8 = °C
93.33 = °C
Body temperature
The normal body temperature is 37 °C. I recently checked Sarah’s body temperature with a thermometer and it is 100.4 °F. Does she have a fever?
Answer: Yes, Sarah has a slight fever.
Explanation: Sarah’s body temperature is 38 °C, which is slightly above the normal body temperature.
(100.4 – 32) ÷ 1.8 = °C
(68.4) ÷ 1.8 = °C
38 = °C
Conclusion
We hope you now know the difference between these two temperature units as well as how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit (and vice versa).
Whether you are planning to go to college or trade school, knowing how to convert these temperatures would surely come in handy.
Just to briefly recap, we covered these topics below
We have also written a few topics that we thought are relevant for your grade level
Todd VanDuzer
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