Re: Conversion calculations
I'm gonna answer this one for the bloggers because I was the one who suggested we add that bit as a way to keep from having to convert every single temp anomaly in C that was in the post to its corresponding F anomaly. --Rebecca
We get versions of this comment quite often, and it is an easy mistake to make. Your assumption is based on the conversion between two absolute temperatures, but we are talking here about an anomaly, which is a change in temperature. You can prove to yourself that our shorthand is correct with some basic math.
How does a change in temperature in ˚F compare to a change in temperature in ˚C?
Let’s look at a change that we know must be physically equal, no matter the scale: the difference between the boiling point of water and the freezing point. We know that these must be equal because they measure the same physical process, the same amount of energy change.
In ˚F, that change is…
Tboiling minus Tfreezing = 212˚-32˚= 180˚
In ˚C, that change is…
Tboiling minus Tfreezing = 100˚-0˚= 100˚
So, a change of 100 ˚C equals a change of 180 ˚F.
If change of 100 ˚C= change 180˚F, then a change of 1 ˚ on the Celsius scale is 1.8 times smaller than a change of 1 ˚on the Fahrenheit scale. So to convert a change (or an anomaly, or a difference) in ˚C to a change in ˚F, multiple the ˚C by 1.8. To convert from a change in ˚F to a change in ˚C, divide by 1.8.