Celsius vs. Fahrenheit

Both Celsius and Fahrenheit are names of scales for measuring temperature. Celsius is part of the more common metric system of measurement, while Fahrenheit is only used in the United States and a few other countries.

Celsius is a metric scale for measuring temperature in degrees in which 0° is the melting point of ice and 100° is the boiling point of water. Some people refer to the Celsius scale as Centigrade, which is no longer accurate. The melting and boiling points on the Celsius scale are set to be 100° apart.

Fahrenheit is a scale for measuring temperature in degrees in which 32° is the melting point of ice and 212° is the boiling point of water. Only a handful of countries, including the United States, use the Fahrenheit scale. The melting and boiling points on the Fahrenheit scale are set to be 180° apart. Countries that use the Fahrenheit scale for general purposes still use the Celsius scale for scientific purposes.

A degree of Fahrenheit is 5/9 of a degree Celsius. For this reason, many prefer the precision of the Fahrenheit scale. The Fahrenheit scale was the preferred scale in English-speaking countries until about the 1970's when it was phased out by governments in favor of standardized metric units.