Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures

The one conversion that uses formulas instead of factors. ALEKS gives you both formulas; pick the right one for the direction.

01 Mini-Lesson Video

▸ VIDEO COMING SOON

A short walkthrough explaining what you need to know and how to solve this question type lands here once it's recorded.

02 What This Looks Like on ALEKS

ALEKS randomizes the numbers each attempt, but the question shape stays the same. Here's an example of what you'll see.

Moscow temperature v1

Kala is planning on visiting Moscow next week on business. Checking her WorldTemp app, she notices that on the day she arrives, the high temperature is forecast to be −3.4 °C. What is this temperature in degrees Fahrenheit (°F)?

Round your answer to the nearest tenth.

Formulas:
C = (5/9) × (F − 32)
F = (9/5) × C + 32

°F

Heads up: Your ALEKS version will use different numbers. The numbers in the practice below are different too — that way you're exercising the move, not memorizing one answer.

03 How to Solve It

C = (5/9) × (F − 32) · F = (9/5) × C + 32

Two formulas, one for each direction. Going TO °F? Use the F formula. Going TO °C? Use the C formula. ALEKS gives you both.

Pick the right formula.

Kala's reading is in Celsius (−3.4°C) and we want Fahrenheit. Look for the formula that solves for F:

F = (9/5) \times C + 32

Plug C = −3.4 in for C in this formula.

Multiply first, then add 32.

Order of operations: do the multiplication before the addition.

(9/5) \times (-3.4) = -6.12

9/5 = 1.8, so 1.8 × (−3.4) = −6.12.

Add 32 and round.

-6.12 + 32 = 25.88 \to 25.9°F

Round 25.88 to the nearest tenth: 25.9. Sanity check: −3.4°C is a cold day; 25.9°F is also cold (well below freezing of 32°F). The conversion makes sense.

▸ COMMON SLIPS(1) Wrong formula. Using the C formula when you need F (or vice versa) gives nonsense. Read the prompt: "convert to °F" means use the F formula. (2) Order of operations. The 9/5 (or 5/9) gets multiplied before the +32 / −32. If you add 32 first, you'll be way off. (3) Forgot to round. ALEKS asks for nearest tenth (one decimal place). 25.88 rounds to 25.9, not 25.88 or 26.

04 Practice — Step by Step

Three temperature conversions, both directions. The formulas are the same as ALEKS gives you.

C → F: convert 25°C to Fahrenheit.

Convert 25°C to Fahrenheit. Use F = (9/5) × C + 32.

answer =

F → C: convert 86°F to Celsius.

Convert 86°F to Celsius. Use C = (5/9) × (F − 32).

answer =

Boiling point: 100°C → ?°F.

Convert 100°C to Fahrenheit (this is water's boiling point in metric).

answer =

▸ NICE WORK

You walked the temperature formula both directions.

Temperature is the one conversion that uses a formula instead of a multiply-by-1 factor (because F and C have different zero points). ALEKS will vary the temperature, the direction, and the rounding precision. The formulas don't change. Pick the right one for the direction, follow the order of operations, and round when asked.

Q5 Topic overview