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.
We Learnt That…
Let’s Discuss
Please refer this guide by Fun2Do Labs for teaching measurement of temperature to kids :
