The Easiest Way To Mentally Convert Fahrenheit To Celsius

People who travel to or from the USA often struggle with the change from Fahrenheit to Celsius. Suddenly they are faced with temperature degrees that mean nothing to them, in the same way that unfamiliar money currencies make it difficult to sense value. What is hot? What is cold? What is comfortable? Should you wear shorts or bring a jacket?
Celsius is a simple metric scale where water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees. Every whole degree change in Celsius is nearly 2 degrees in Fahrenheit, this is why it's easier to fine tune a thermostat in F to your perfect comfort level.
Here are a few common temperatures to remember: |
F | C |
Water boils (at sea level) | 212 | 100 |
Really hot, sweating in the shade | 100 | 38 |
Sweating | 95 | 35 |
Wear shorts | 80 | 27 |
Room temperature | 75 | 24 |
Wear a Jacket | 65 | 18 |
Wear gloves and a scarf | 50 | 10 |
Water freezes | 32 | 0 |
As an airline captain I will often announce both F and C temperatures as a courtesy to my international passengers, and I use this mental trick to quickly make the conversion.
Here is the easiest method to mentally convert to a temperature that you are familiar with, and it will generally be accurate to within a few degrees.
Just remember "Double Add Thirty".
To convert C ➡️ F: Double the Celsius degree, and add 30.
For example:
Convert 10 C to F
10 X 2 = 20
20 + 30 = 50
To convert F ➡️ C, just reverse the process. Start by subtracting 30, then divide by 2.
For example:
Convert 80 F to C
80 - 30 = 50
50 / 2 = 25
Play around with it and compare your results with the table above. You will start to lose some accuracy as you get into the higher temperatures, but you will at least be in the ballpark, and you will never again wonder what the temperature is.
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Comments
Rupert Morrell
May 13 2018
I was watching the Dr Oz show one time and they and they had this female sleep expert on talking about the best temperature to sleep in. I am from Australia (were we use the metric system for everything) and when she mentioned 68 degrees I thought yeah right like I am going to be able to sleep at that temperature. Sure come to Australia and I willnset you up a nice room at 68 degrees Celceus for you. I wouldn’t tell her the unit of measurement until afterwards. Someone should have converted the temperature across as a subtitle for those in other lands that use “real money” so to speak and not the “funny money” of the USA. Thank you for your website.
Jamaal Qadir
March 17 2017
Thanks for sharing the easy method of changing celsius to Fahrenheit. I’ve been wanting to learn that for a while now.
Faye Cochran
January 23 2015
Thanks for the Celsius/Fahrenheit chart. I am sure this will come in handy!!! And it is easy to calculate/remember!!
Rupert Morrell
May 13 2018
I was watching the Dr Oz show one time and they and they had this female sleep expert on talking about the best temperature to sleep in. I am from Australia (were we use the metric system for everything) and when she mentioned 68 degrees I thought yeah right like I am going to be able to sleep at that temperature. Sure come to Australia and I willnset you up a nice room at 68 degrees Celceus for you. I wouldn’t tell her the unit of measurement until afterwards. Someone should have converted the temperature across as a subtitle for those in other lands that use “real money” so to speak and not the “funny money” of the USA. Thank you for your website.
Jamaal Qadir
March 17 2017
Thanks for sharing the easy method of changing celsius to Fahrenheit. I’ve been wanting to learn that for a while now.
Faye Cochran
January 23 2015
Thanks for the Celsius/Fahrenheit chart. I am sure this will come in handy!!! And it is easy to calculate/remember!!
Comments
3 Comments