Temperature conversion is one of the most frequently needed calculations in daily life. Whether you're checking the weather, cooking, traveling internationally, or troubleshooting technical issues, knowing how to convert between Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin is invaluable.
Celsius is used by most countries worldwide and in scientific applications. Fahrenheit remains primarily used in the United States and a few Caribbean nations. Kelvin is the SI unit of temperature, used primarily in science and engineering.
Water Freezes: 0°C = 32°F = 273.15 K
Room Temperature: 20-22°C = 68-72°F
Body Temperature: 37°C = 98.6°F
Water Boils: 100°C = 212°F = 373.15 K
Oven - Low: 150°C = 300°F
Oven - Moderate: 180°C = 350°F
Oven - Hot: 220°C = 425°F
When I followed a British recipe, it said to bake at 180°C. My American oven only shows Fahrenheit—turns out that's 356°F, which is close to 350°F. Using the converter helped me set the right temperature the first time!
Celsius (°C): Named after Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius, who originally proposed the scale in 1742. Water freezes at 0° and boils at 100° at standard atmospheric pressure.
Fahrenheit (°F): Proposed by German physicist Daniel Fahrenheit in 1724. Originally, he set 0° as the coldest temperature he could create (a mixture of salt and ice), and 96° for human body temperature. Later adjusted so water freezes at 32° and boils at 212°.
Kelvin (K): Named after British physicist William Kelvin. It's the absolute temperature scale where 0 K is absolute zero—the theoretical temperature where all molecular motion stops. There's no "degree" symbol with Kelvin.