In the years I have been gone from Florida I have gradually adapted to a modified version of international English and then the metric system of weights, distance, and volume — but have tenaciously clung to Fahrenheit when reckoning temperature. After all, what could be simpler and more logical than water freezing at 32 degrees and boiling at 212 degrees? How dare the metric proponents claims that setting these benchmarks at 0 degrees and 100 degrees would be more efficient?
Somehow 35C doesn't sound hot, while 95F is very hot. And a comfort zone of 22-27C (72-80F) just doesn't work either.
Besides, when I was in chemistry class, about 100 years ago C stood for Centigrade (100 degrees in Latin, I think) not Celsius. So who is this Celsius and why should we prefer him or her to the Venerable Fahrenheit?
These are questions that the inquiring minds wants to know.
Nevertheless, unless the Confederacy rises again, the chances of me ever living in America are slim, and everyone else uses Celsius, except of course for those primitives who don't give a darn what the temperature is.
So, in the same spirit that I accepted that the letter Z might be pronounced Zed instead of Zee, I decided to take the metric plunge–so I changed my electronic weather station and every one of my internet weather links to Celsius. I do. however, keep a conversion cheat sheet under the glass on my desktop.
But how the heck do you convert between the two?
If you solve calculus problems in your head for fun, or are just plain anal retentive, you would want to do it this way:
To convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, subtract 32 degrees and divide by 1.8.
To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, multiply by 1.8 and add 32 degrees.
Another less precise system that some people use is this:
To convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, subtract 30 degrees and cut in half..
To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, double and add 30 degrees.
That will get you pretty close at most temperature to which you will be exposed, unless you are an arctic explorer or work in a blast furnace.
If, however, those doesn't appeal, you might try the system that works for me:
I start by remembering that 68F=20C. I then simply add or subtract 2F for every 1C. Consequently, since 70F is 2F higher than 68, it must be about 21C.
What I like about it is that it is so simple that I can do it in my head, even when drinking. It is about 10% off, but who among us can tell the difference between 70F and 69.8F?
There is one final system to consider, as it breaks the temperature down into even more manageable units:
Way too cold,
Too cold,
cold,
cool,
nice,
warm,
hot,
too hot,
Too damned hot!
Which system do you prefer.
Applied Metrics (Perhaps a little to “Pun”–y for you) 2000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirdsRatio of an igloo’s circumference to its diameter = Eskimo Pi2000 pounds of Chinese soup = Won tonTime between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement = 1 bananosecondHalf of a large intestine = 1 semicolon1000 aches = 1 megahurtzBasic unit of laryngitis = 1 hoarsepowerShortest distance between two jokes = A straight line1 million-million microphones = 1 megaphone1 million bicycles = 2 megacycles10 cards = 1 decacardsforce of 1 kilogram of falling figs = 1 Fig Newton1000 grams of wet socks = 1 literhosen1 millionth of a fish = 1 microfiche1 trillion pins = 1 terrapin10 rations = 1 decoration100 rations = 1 C-ration8 nickels = 2 paradigms2.4 miles of intravenous surgical tubing at Harvard = 1 I.V. League
Left by AmeroChilean on May 13th, 2006