8 Major Difference Between Celsius And Fahrenheit (With Symbol)

What Is Fahrenheit?

The Fahrenheit scale is a temperature scale proposed by a German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit in 1724. It uses the degree Fahrenheit as the unit.  The Fahrenheit temperature scale bases the boiling point of water at 212^◦ and the freezing point at 32^◦, the interval between the two being divided into 180 equal parts.

The Fahrenheit scale was the primary temperature standard for climate, industrial and medical purposes in most English-speaking countries until the 1960s. In the late 1960s and 1970s, the Celsius scale previously referred to as centigrade scale was adopted by governments as part of the standardizing units of measurement.  

Today, the scale is primarily used in the United States and some Caribbean countries for everyday temperature measurement. U.S meteorologist department continue to use the Fahrenheit scale for weather forecasting and reporting whereas countries such as Canada and Australia use Fahrenheit scale alongside the Celsius scale in weather forecasting and reporting, the rest of the world uses the Celsius scale.

 Conversion Formula

FAHRENHEIT TO CELSIUS: Subtract 32, then multiply by 5, then divide by 9

CELSIUS TO FAHRENHEIT:  Multiply by 8, divide by 5 then add 32

KELVIN TO FAHRENHEIT: Subtract 273.15, multiply by 1.8, then add 32

FAHRENHEIT TO KELVIN: Subtract 32, multiply by 5, divide by 9 then add 273.15

What Is Celsius?

The Celsius is a temperature scale used by the International System Of Units (SI). The degree Celsius (^◦C) can refer to specific temperature on Celsius scale or a unit to indicate a difference between two temperatures or an uncertainty. On the Celsius scale, 0 degrees represents the freezing point of water and 100 degrees represents the boiling point of water at the standard atmosphere.  Celsius scale was named after the inventor, a Swedish astronomer, Anders Celsius (1701-1744).

Originally, Anders Celsius created a temperature scale that was a reverse of what is known as the Celsius scale. In his scale, zero represented the boiling point of water while 100 represented the freezing point of water. However, in 1743, the Lyonnais physicist, Jean-Pierre Christin developed a Celsius scale where zero degrees represent the freezing point of water and 100 degrees represents the boiling point of water. 0

Until 1948, the scale was referred to as centigrade. The conference General des Poids et Measures, decided to standardize several units of measurements, including temperature scale, Celsius was chosen to replace centigrade so as to avoid ambiguity because “grade” was already in use as a unit of measurement.

Celsius is the most widely used temperature scale in many scientific applications around the globe. This can be attributed to the fact that Celsius degree is easier to work with in terms of measurement, calculations and data reporting.

Conversion Formula

CELSIUS TO FAHRENHEIT: Multiply by 9, divide by 5 then add 32

FAHRENHEIT TO CELSIUS: Subtract 32, then multiply by 5, then divide by 9

KELVIN TO CELSIUS: Add 273

CELSIUS TO KELVIN: Subtract 273

Difference Between Fahrenheit And Celsius In Tabular Form