Why does an article about Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature
show a partial map of the New York subway system? There’s
a peculiar coincidence. If you don’t already
know about this little-known gem of New York culture, continue
reading!
What is Fahrenheit? It’s the temperature scale used by Americans. Nearly everyone in the rest of the world has adopted the Celsius scale. When the topic is weather, communication between cultures is sometimes awkward. Most Americans simply are not accustomed to the Celsius scale, and most people from other countries are not accustomed to the Fahrenheit scale.
The formulas to convert from temperature from one scale to the other are too complex for most of us to calculate mentally. Of course, we could also consult conversion tables on the internet, on our PDA devices, or in other reference sources. For most of us, however, a convenient practical solution eludes us.
However, there is one solution, unique to New Yorkers and lovers of New York. If you know the New York subway system, you can use the Lexington Avenue line (the #6 train) as your guide to approximate Fahrenheit and Celsius conversions.
Here’s how it works. Starting at the bottom and moving up, follow the green line on the subway map. That’s the #6 subway line. The station stops between 33rd Street and 103rd Street represent Fahrenheit temperatures. At 33rd Street (33º Fahrenheit), the corresponding temperature is 0° Celsius. (O.K., it’s really 0.55° C!). For each station stop going uptown on the Lexington Avenue #6 subway line, add 5 degrees of Celsius. At 42nd Street stop (42° F), you have roughly 5° C, At the next station stop, 51st Street (51° F) you arrive at roughly to 10° C. One stop further uptown to 59th Street (59° F) gives you 15° C. This works for all the stations until you finally reach 103rd Street (103° F), corresponding roughly to 40° C, a temperature reached in New York’s record-breaking heat wave in August, 2006.
The map and adjacent table show how close the correspondence generally is! Note: this trick does not work well for Fahrenheit temperatures above 103 or below 33.
What do you think? Did you already know about this strange coincidence? Send us a quick note, and let us know!