Celsius to Farenheit Conversion

For practical purposes, in order to quickly convert from one measurement system to another, most people need to memorize a set of reference values. Here is a table of corresponding temperatures in Celsius and Farenheit. These values should be adequate for American travelers traveling abroad.

Celsius   Farenheit
0 32
541
1050
1559
2068
2577
3086
3595
40104

To remember the table, one starts with the well known fact that 32 degrees Farenheit is freezing temperature for water, which is also 0 degrees Celsius. Now note the following:

A five degree increase in Celsius temperature
corresponds to a 9 degree increase in Farenheit.

From this one can easily construct the rest of the table.

It is also worthwhile to notice that the sum of the two digits for the Farenheit temperatures in the table is always 5 or 14.

To find the corresponding Farenheit value for Celsius temperatures
between 15 and 60 which are multiples of 5,  double the Celsius value, add 20,
and adjust the units digit so that the sum of the digits is 14,  or 5 for three digit numbers.
(15 degrees celsius corresponds to 59 Farenheit, not 50.)

For instance, to find the Farenheit value corresponding 35 degrees celsius, the steps are as follows:

35 --> 70 --> 90 --> 95

It is worth knowing that 60 degrees Celsius corresponds to 140 degrees Farenheit. This is the maximum temperature most people would want to use for dishwaters or washing machines.

If one is unfortunate enough to have to deal with temperatures below freezing, here is a table. Note that in this table, the digits of negative Farenheit temperatures in the table add up to 4 or 13.

CelsiusFarenheit
032
-523
-1014
-155
-20-4
-25-13
-30-22
 

Kilometers and Miles

For conversions from kilometers to miles, it suffices to remember that 100 kilometers per hour is approximately 60 miles per hour. Thus 10 kilometers is approximately 6 miles and 20 kilometers, for instance, is approximately 12 miles.

 

Kilograms to Pounds

If you step on a scale in Euope, the important thing to remember is that 5 kilgrams equals roughly 11 pounds. Thus 50 kilgrams is 110 pounds and 100 kilograms is 220 pounds. So 105 kilos would be 231 pounds.

To convert a two-digit number ending in 5 from kilos to pounds, double the tens digit, then multiply by 11. If then original number ends in 0, then this is the answer. But if the original number ends in 5, add 11 once more.

For instance, the conversion for 65 kilos is as follows:
6 *2 = 12 12 * 11 = 132 132 + 11 = 143

So 60 kilos is roughly 132 pounds and 65 kilos is roughly 143 pounds.