Below Zero and Below Freezing Question

Question

I have a dumb question, but I have always wondered. I am speaking in fahrenheit here which means water freezes at 32 degrees. If someone says "Its 4 degrees below outside" does that mean 4 degrees below 0, or below freezing?

Is its 4 degrees outside, is it just 4 degrees, or is it 28 below?

Is -4 below 0 on the thermometor, or is it -4 below freezing which is actually 28 degrees?

Are you confused yet?

Stupid question I know, but it seems everyone around here sees it differently. I tried to look it up and I get some huge scientific explanation and its all about Celcius and how the US should be using it. I can't get a straight answer!

Answer 1

A temperature of "4 below" is four degrees below zero.  But it could be below zero C or zero F.  It depends on which temperature scale the speaker is talking about.

That's one of the nice things about the Kelvin scale.  As an "absolute" scale it has no "below zero" issues because there are no temperature below zero in an absolute scale.

Answer 2

4 degrees below means below zero or that would be 36 degrees below freezing.

Answer 3

You said that you're 'speaking in fahrenheit'.  Then, if you say a temperature is below zero you mean below zero in fahrenheit.  So that's quite a bit lower than the freezing point.. 36 F degrees lower than freezing.   People sometimes will say 'below freezing' when in F, so that would be below 32.   It's because freezing is a natural and obvious significant temperature for us, that's one of the reasons that the C scale really does work better!    

Answer 4

<< "Its 4 degrees below outside" >

In Fahrenheit it means 28 degrees ( 32 - 4 = 28 ) which is 4 degrees below freezing temp of water.

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OR -4 Fahrenheit, that would make it 36 degrees below freezing temp of water.

In Fahrenheit 32 degrees is the freeze temp of water.

Fahrenheit temps can be assigned a negative number.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

In Celcius Zero (0) is freezing so 4 degrees below is below freezing.