What Temperature Does Fahrenheit Equal Celsius?

Science, Tech, Math › Science What Temperature Does Fahrenheit Equal Celsius? Share Flipboard Email Print ThoughtCo / Derek Abella Science Chemistry Basics Chemical Laws Molecules Periodic Table Projects & Experiments Scientific Method Biochemistry Physical Chemistry Medical Chemistry Chemistry In Everyday Life Famous Chemists Activities for Kids Abbreviations & Acronyms Biology Physics Geology Astronomy Weather & Climate By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Facebook Twitter Chemistry Expert Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on January 27, 2020 Celsius and Fahrenheit are two important temperature scales. The Fahrenheit scale is used primarily in the United States, while Celsius is used throughout the world. The two scales have different zero points and the Celsius degree is bigger than the Fahrenheit. However, there is one point on the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales where the temperatures in degrees are equal. This is -40 °C and -40 °F. If you can’t remember the number, there is a simple algebraic method to find the answer. Key Takeaways: When Does Fahrenheit Equal Celsius? Celsius and Fahrenheit are two temperature scales.The Fahrenheit and Celsius scales have one point at which they intersect. They are equal at -40 °C and -40 °F.The simple method to find when two temperature scales are equal to each other is to set the conversion factors for the two scales equal to each other and solve for temperature. Setting Fahrenheit and Celsius Equal Rather than converting one temperature to another (which is not helpful because it assumes you already know the answer), you can set degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit equal to each other using the conversion formula between the two scales: °F = (°C * 9/5) + 32°C = (°F – 32) * 5/9 It does not matter which equation you use; simply use x instead of degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit. You can solve this problem by solving for x: °C = 5/9 * (°F – 32)x = 5/9 * (x – 32)x = (5/9)x – 17.7781x – (5/9)x = -17.7780.444x = -17.778x = -40 degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit Working using the other equation, you get the same answer: °F = (°C * 9/5) + 32°x – (°x * 9/5) = 32-4/5 * °x = 32°x = -32 * 5/4x = -40° More About Temperature You can set two scales equal to each other to find when any of them intersect. Sometimes it’s easier to just look up the equivalent temperature. This handy temperature conversion scale may help you out. You can also practice converting between temperature scales: Fahrenheit to Celsius Celsius to Fahrenheit Celsius Versus Centigrade Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. “What Temperature Does Fahrenheit Equal Celsius?” ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/fahrenheit-celsius-equivalents-609236. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2023, April 5). What Temperature Does Fahrenheit Equal Celsius? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/fahrenheit-celsius-equivalents-609236 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. “What Temperature Does Fahrenheit Equal Celsius?” ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/fahrenheit-celsius-equivalents-609236 (accessed April 10, 2023). copy citation Featured Video