Temperature Converter
Instantly convert between Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin using precise conversion formulas.
Result
33.8
1 Celsius (°C) = 33.8 Fahrenheit (°F)
Temperature Conversion Formulas
°C to °F
°F = (°C × 9/5) + 32
°F to °C
°C = (°F - 32) × 5/9
°C to K
K = °C + 273.15
K to °C
°C = K - 273.15
°F to K
K = (°F - 32) × 5/9 + 273.15
K to °F
°F = (K - 273.15) × 9/5 + 32
Common Temperature Conversions
| From | To |
|---|---|
| 0°C | 32°F |
| 100°C | 212°F |
| 37°C | 98.6°F |
| -40°C | -40°F |
| 0 K | -273.15°C |
| 373.15 K | 100°C |
The History of Temperature Scales
The measurement of temperature has a fascinating history that spans several centuries. Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, a Polish-German physicist, developed the Fahrenheit scale in 1724. He set 0 degrees as the temperature of a brine solution (a mixture of ice, water, and ammonium chloride), 32 degrees as the freezing point of water, and 96 degrees as what he measured to be the human body temperature (later refined to 98.6 degrees). In 1742, Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius proposed a scale where 0 was the boiling point and 100 was the freezing point of water. This was later inverted by Carl Linnaeus to the form we use today, with 0 degrees for freezing and 100 degrees for boiling. The Kelvin scale, named after the Irish-Scottish physicist William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, was introduced in 1848. It is an absolute temperature scale that begins at absolute zero, the theoretical point at which all molecular motion ceases. The Kelvin scale is the standard unit of temperature in the scientific community and is fundamental to the laws of thermodynamics.
Celsius vs. Fahrenheit vs. Kelvin
Each of the three major temperature scales has its own strengths and areas of use. The Celsius scale is the most widely used temperature scale in the world, adopted by nearly every country for everyday weather reporting, cooking, and general purpose measurement. Its intuitive reference points of 0 for freezing and 100 for boiling water make it easy to understand. The Fahrenheit scale remains the standard for everyday temperature measurement in the United States. Some proponents argue that Fahrenheit provides finer granularity for weather temperatures, since the range from 0 to 100 Fahrenheit roughly corresponds to the range of habitable outdoor temperatures in many climates. The Kelvin scale is indispensable in science and engineering. Because it starts at absolute zero, it allows for direct proportional comparisons of thermal energy. For example, 200 K represents exactly twice the thermal energy of 100 K, a relationship that does not hold for Celsius or Fahrenheit. Unlike Celsius and Fahrenheit, Kelvin does not use the degree symbol; temperatures are simply stated as "kelvins."
Boiling Points, Freezing Points, and Key Temperatures
Understanding key temperature reference points helps put different scales into perspective. Water freezes at 0°C (32°F, 273.15 K) and boils at 100°C (212°F, 373.15 K) at standard atmospheric pressure. Normal human body temperature averages about 37°C (98.6°F, 310.15 K). Room temperature is generally considered to be around 20-22°C (68-72°F). The surface temperature of the Sun is approximately 5,500°C (9,932°F), while the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was -89.2°C (-128.6°F) at Vostok Station in Antarctica. A particularly interesting reference point is -40 degrees, which is the same in both Celsius and Fahrenheit -- the only point at which the two scales intersect. These reference points illustrate just how different the scales are in their range and resolution, even though they all measure the same physical phenomenon.
Absolute Zero: The Coldest Possible Temperature
Absolute zero is the lowest possible temperature, the point at which particles have minimal vibrational motion and cannot be made colder by any means. It is defined as 0 Kelvin, which equals -273.15°C or -459.67°F. While absolute zero can never be fully reached in practice due to the third law of thermodynamics, scientists have come extraordinarily close. In laboratory experiments, temperatures within billionths of a degree above absolute zero have been achieved using techniques such as laser cooling and evaporative cooling. At these extreme temperatures, matter exhibits bizarre quantum mechanical behaviors, including Bose-Einstein condensation, where atoms lose their individual identity and behave as a single quantum entity. The concept of absolute zero is crucial in fields ranging from cryogenics and superconductivity to cosmology, where the cosmic microwave background radiation has a temperature of approximately 2.725 K, just a few degrees above absolute zero. Understanding absolute zero provides deep insights into the fundamental nature of energy, matter, and the universe itself.