If it was 0 degrees celsius and the next day it was twice as cold, what is the temp?

Question

How do you work it out?

Answer 1

If you take 20 degrees celsius to be room temperature, 0 degrees is 20 below this. So, twice as cold would be 20 degrees below zero = -20 degrees celsius.

Answer 2

I took 0C and converted it to F.  This came out to be 32F.  Twice as cold as 32F would be 16F.  I then converted 16F to C and got -8.8C.  Therefore, the answer is -8.8C.

Answer 3

I can see the logic in all the previous answers except one but I am not sure either is correct.

Consider this:

If Cold is defined as the absence of Heat and Heat is measured in British thermal units(BTUs) then it would seem to me that you would have to thermally isolate an enclosed volume of air that is at a temperature of 0 degrees celsius and then determine how many BTUs are present. Now some how remove one half of the BTUs from the enclosed volume of air.  Considering the definition of Cold this should make the enclosed volume of air twice as cold as it was at 0 degrees celsius. Now measure the temperature of the enclosed volume of air and you will have the answer to your question.

I realize this is not a practical solution to the problem but it is the best I could come up with on short notice.

There may be a way to calculate how many total BTUs are present in a precise volume of air at a specific temperature. Then calculate how many BTUs per degree of temperature and solve for what the temperature would be if you removed half of the BTUs.

Answer 4

0 degrees celsius = 32 degrees fahrenheit so if you minus the 32D to 0D fahrenheit you get -17.77778 degrees celsius

Answer 5

-137 degrees Celsius just as Mark P. said above (with rounding)

Answer 6

well im thinking you should convert it to the absolute temperature system of Kelvin which makes it 273K so twice as cold means half way to the zero of that system so id say 136.5 K which is -136.5C. The reason I say you need to convert it to Kelvin is because Celsius and Farenheit essentially have no limits so there is no such thing as "twice as cold" unless you know the temperature of the day before.

Answer 7

I believe your answer will come to you if you convert to units of  Kelvin. As suggested above, Mark P.  seems to be on track