Learn how Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature scales work, how to convert between them, and why they are important in everyday life, explained simply for 10-year-old students.
Hi there! Today, we're going to learn about two important temperature scales: Fahrenheit and Celsius. These are ways to measure how hot or cold something is.
Temperature tells us how hot or cold something is. For example, when you touch ice, it feels very cold, and when you touch something warm like soup, it feels hot. Scientists and people use temperature scales to measure this heat.
Celsius (°C) is a temperature scale used by most countries. It is based on the freezing and boiling points of water:
So, 0°C means it's very cold, and 100°C means water is boiling (very hot!).
Fahrenheit (°F) is another temperature scale mostly used in the United States. It also measures temperature using freezing and boiling points of water:
Notice how the numbers are different from Celsius, but they measure the same thing.
If you want to change a temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit, you can use this formula:
Fahrenheit = (Celsius × 9/5) + 32
Let's try an example: What's 0°C in Fahrenheit?
F = (0 × 9/5) + 32 = 32°F
If you want to convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius, use this formula:
Celsius = (Fahrenheit − 32) × 5/9
For example, what's 68°F in Celsius?
C = (68 − 32) × 5/9 = 20°C
Different countries developed different systems a long time ago, so some use Fahrenheit and others use Celsius. For science, Celsius is more common because it ties nicely to water's freezing and boiling points.
Now you know how to understand and switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures!