What temperature in Celsius is 54 Fahrenheit (Enter numerical values only. If rounding is necessary round off to the nearest whole number)?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The temperature of 54°F is equivalent to 12°C when converted from Fahrenheit to Celsius.
Explanation:
To convert a temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius, we use the formula:
[
C = \frac{5}{9} \times (F – 32)
]
Where:
- ( C ) is the temperature in Celsius,
- ( F ) is the temperature in Fahrenheit.
Given:
- ( F = 54 )
We substitute the value into the formula:
[
C = \frac{5}{9} \times (54 – 32)
]
[
C = \frac{5}{9} \times 22
]
[
C = \frac{110}{9}
]
[
C \approx 12.22
]
Rounding 12.22 to the nearest whole number gives 12°C.
Why this conversion is necessary:
Fahrenheit and Celsius are two commonly used temperature scales. In the United States and a few other countries, Fahrenheit is the preferred scale for weather temperatures. However, most of the world uses the Celsius scale, especially in scientific contexts. Understanding how to convert between the two is important for comparing temperature data across different regions and scientific studies.
The conversion works by first subtracting 32 from the Fahrenheit value to account for the difference in where each scale starts (Fahrenheit starts at 32°F for the freezing point of water, while Celsius starts at 0°C). After this, the result is multiplied by the ratio (\frac{5}{9}), which adjusts for the difference in the size of the degree intervals between the two scales. This formula ensures that the two scales are aligned in terms of the relative distances between temperature points.