Converters

Temperature converter

Fahrenheit, Celsius, Kelvin, and Rankine - exact formulas with the fractions kept exact, the −40 crossover explained, and absolute zero treated honestly.

Reference points

TemperatureEquals
0 °C (water freezes)32 °F
100 °C (water boils)212 °F
37 °C (body temp)98.6 °F
20 °C (room temp)68 °F
-40 °C (the crossover)-40 °F
0 K (absolute zero)-273.15 °C
350 °F (common oven)176.6666667 °C

Table computed by the same engine as the tool above.

The exact formulas

Fahrenheit to Celsius: °C = (°F − 32) × 5/9. Celsius to Fahrenheit: °F = °C × 9/5 + 32. Kelvin is Celsius shifted so zero sits at absolute zero: K = °C + 273.15 exactly. Rankine does the same for Fahrenheit: °R = °F + 459.67. These are exact by definition - the 5/9 is a true fraction, not 0.5556 - which is why converting 100°C gives exactly 212°F, not 211.99.

Why -40 is the crossover

The two scales cross where F = C: solving x = x × 9/5 + 32 gives x = −40. So −40°F and −40°C are the same temperature - the one point where the scales agree, and a handy sanity check for any converter (including this one - try it above).

Kelvin has no degrees - and no negatives

Kelvin is the SI base unit for temperature, written without a degree sign (300 K, not 300°K). Its zero is absolute zero (−273.15°C) - the floor below which temperature cannot go - so negative Kelvin values aren't physically meaningful for ordinary matter, and this converter says so rather than silently returning one. Cooking temperatures have their own chart including gas marks; wind chill and heat index - what temperature feels like - are a separate calculator using the NWS formulas.

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