Math Story : Temperature And It’s Conversion
The Fun Experiment
Uncle Math : Today we will learn about Temperature. Temperature is the measure to describe how cold or hot anything is. To measure temperature we use a device called thermometer.
Squarho : Is that why, when we feel cold during the winter, we say that the temperature is low?
Uncle Math : Yes, Squarho. When the temperature is below 15°C, we say the weather is cold, and when the temperature crosses 30°C, we say the weather is hot.
Uncle Math : Time for the most exciting part! Are you all ready for a fun experiment?
Triho : Yes! What will we do today, Uncle Math.
Uncle Math : In today’s experiment, you all will be working in teams of 2. Cirha and Cirho will work together, and Squarho along with Triho will do the experiment together.
Cirho : I am already excited about the experiment.
Uncle Math : You need to record the temperature of boiling water using the thermometer. These are the equipment, you will require for the experiment.
Squarho, Triho, Cirha and Cirho : Okay, Uncle Math.
Cirha : Wow! Put the thermometer in the boiling water.
Squarho : Yaay! We got the answer, the water started boiling at 100.
Cirha : No..no…nooo…no.. You did it wrong! When we conducted the experiment, the water started boiling at 212. Your flame must have been low.
Squarho : Noooo… You are wrong. I never loose, I always win.
Uncle Math : Stop it! Why are you all fighting?
Squarho : We calculated the boiling point of water and it was 100, whereas their answer is 212. They were trying to tell us we are wrong.
Uncle Math : Ha…Ha…Ha! You all are correct, kids! In all cases, water boils at the same temperature. All this confusion is because of the unit.
Triho : Unit? What is that Uncle Math?
Uncle Math : We generally measure temperature on different scales like Kelvin, Celsius, and Fahrenheit. Here, the confusion is about two units : Fahrenheit and Celsius.
Cirha : Oh! Yes, I remember F being mentioned on the thermometer. So, did we measure in Fahrenheit?
Uncle Math : Yes, Fahrenheit is abberevated as °F. Squarho and Triho measured in Celsius, abberevated as °C.
Triho : I got it! We measured the temperature of boiling water on the Celsius scale, while the other team did so on the Fahrenheit scale. Isn’t it, Uncle Math?
Uncle Math : Absolutely correct! Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius, or 212 degrees Fahrenheit. There is one interesting fact about this, both of these units can be converted into one another.
Cirha : How, Uncle Math?
Uncle Math : To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit we use this formula F = (9/5) X C + 32. So tell me, if water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius, then at what temperature would it freeze in degrees Fahrenheit? Can you answer this using the formula?
Squarho : Yes! I can do this one. First, we will divide by 5, then multiply by 9, and finally add 32 to it. That would be 32°F.
Uncle Math : Absolutely correct Squarho.
Uncle Math : Degree Fahrenheit can be converted to Degree Celsius by using C = (5/9) X (F − 32). The normal body temperature is 98.6°F, what would be the normal body temperature in degrees Celsius?
Cirha : Yes! It is simple. We will first subtract 32 from 98.6, then divide by 9, and multiply by 5. That would be 37°C.
Uncle Math : Absolutely correct Cirho. Well done kids, you all are very quick learners.