Celsius vs. Fahrenheit: What's the Difference?
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The Celsius scale puts the freezing point of water at 0° and its boiling point at 100°, while the Fahrenheit scale puts them at 32° and 212° at standard sea-level pressure. A Celsius degree is therefore 1.8 times as large as a Fahrenheit degree, and to convert you multiply by 9/5 and add 32: °F = °C × 9/5 + 32.
At a glance
| Celsius | Fahrenheit | |
|---|---|---|
| Water freezes | 0 °C | 32 °F |
| Water boils | 100 °C at sea-level pressure | 212 °F at sea-level pressure |
| Size of a degree | 1/100 of the freezing-boiling gap | 1/180 of the gap, so 5/9 of a Celsius degree |
| Normal body temperature | About 37 °C | About 98.6 °F |
| Where used | Most countries and all of science | Mainly everyday use in the United States |
Which should you use?
Celsius is used for weather forecasts, cooking and science almost everywhere, including India, the UK and Europe, and it links directly to the kelvin used in physics.
Fahrenheit is used for weather and cooking in the United States, and many clinical thermometers in India still show fever readings in °F, such as 100.4 °F.