Do you have trouble remembering when to add or subtract 32 when you're doing Celsius and Fahrenheit conversions? Is it add 32 to C, then multiply by 9/5? Or is it 9/5 times C, then add 32? The results are very different! And the rules change whether you're going from C to F or F to C! Who wants to remember all that?

Luckily, I learned a much easier way back in high school AP Chemistry class with Mrs. Greenwood.

F = (C + 40) * 9/5 - 40
C = (F + 40) * 5/9 - 40

Yes, I know that defies all you were probably ever taught (unless you had Mrs. Greenwood), but it works. As you can see, the best thing is the formula stays exactly the same whether you're going from C to F or F to C! Now all you have to remember is add 40, multiply, subtract 40.

If you're using a calculator, you can also save yourself a step by remembering 9/5=1.8 and 5/9=.55555 (or as many 5s as you care to enter).

Mrs. Greenwood would be proud.

Posted by JoshC at March 15, 2006 8:09 PM

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