Temperature Conversions

One problem for technicians is that temperature specifications will be listed in degrees Fahrenheit (°F) or in degrees Celsius (°C). Both systems are commonly used today in industry and the technician must be able to move accurately between the two systems. ill. 1 shows a table that can be used to convert between the two systems. Since both of these standards are developed around the boiling point and freezing point of water, it's a good practice to memorize several temperatures such as the boiling point of water, the freezing point of water, and room temperature so that one can provide an estimate of a temperature reading from either system. For instance, the boiling point of water is 212°F, and 100°C, and the freezing point of water is 32°F, and 0°C. If 72°F is considered room temperature, the equivalent temperature would be 22.2°C. One additional temperature that should be memorized is 50°C. Since this represents the halfway point in the Celsius system, it will give a good reference to estimate other temperatures (50°C is equal to 122°F). Also note that since the Fahrenheit system uses an offset of 32° for the low temperature, one can't simply divide the Fahrenheit scale in half to get the equivalent temperature for 50°C.

The formula for converting Celsius to Fahrenheit temperature scales is:

°C = 5/9 (°F - 32)

The formula for converting Fahrenheit to Celsius temperature scales is:

°F= (9/5) °C + 32

Above: ill. 1 Conversion table for Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature scales.