How do you convert Fahrenheit to Celsius?

How do you convert Fahrenheit to Celsius?

• A. [°C] = ([°F] - 32) / 1.8
• B. [°C] = [°F] × 1.8 + 32
• C. [°C] = [°F] - 32
• D. [°C] = [°F] / 2

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that Fahrenheit and Celsius are two different temperature scales that relate by an offset and a different step size. To convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius, you first remove the 32-degree offset (because 32°F equals 0°C), then adjust for the different unit size by dividing by 1.8 (since one Celsius degree equals 1.8 Fahrenheit degrees, which is the same as multiplying by 5/9). So the conversion is C = (F − 32) / 1.8. For example, 68°F goes to (68 − 32) / 1.8 = 36 / 1.8 = 20°C. The other forms don’t fit: using F = C × 1.8 + 32 would give Fahrenheit from Celsius, not Celsius from Fahrenheit; subtracting 32 alone ignores the scaling between the scales; dividing by 2 is simply a wrong scaling and does not match the actual relationship.

The key idea is that Fahrenheit and Celsius are two different temperature scales that relate by an offset and a different step size. To convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius, you first remove the 32-degree offset (because 32°F equals 0°C), then adjust for the different unit size by dividing by 1.8 (since one Celsius degree equals 1.8 Fahrenheit degrees, which is the same as multiplying by 5/9).

So the conversion is C = (F − 32) / 1.8. For example, 68°F goes to (68 − 32) / 1.8 = 36 / 1.8 = 20°C.

The other forms don’t fit: using F = C × 1.8 + 32 would give Fahrenheit from Celsius, not Celsius from Fahrenheit; subtracting 32 alone ignores the scaling between the scales; dividing by 2 is simply a wrong scaling and does not match the actual relationship.