RN Nursing · Vital Signs · Practice question
Your patient's temperature is 36.6 degrees Celsius. What is their temperature in Fahrenheit? Round to the nearest tenth, 1st decimal place.
Answer & explanation
Correct:
Converting Celsius to Fahrenheit uses the formula: °F = (°C × 9/5) + 32. Substituting the given value: °F = (36.6 × 9/5) + 32. First, multiply 36.6 by 9 to get 329.4, then divide by 5 to get 65.88. Adding 32 gives 97.88, which rounds to 97.9°F when expressed to the nearest tenth. This temperature falls within the normal adult range for oral body temperature, which is approximately 97.8–99.1°F (36.5–37.3°C). Students should memorize the two conversion formulas: °F = (°C × 9/5) + 32 for Celsius to Fahrenheit, and °C = (°F − 32) × 5/9 for Fahrenheit to Celsius. A common mistake is forgetting to add 32 after multiplying, which would yield an erroneously low result of 65.88. Another frequent error is using the wrong multiplier — using 5/9 instead of 9/5 for this direction of conversion. Knowing normal temperature ranges in both scales is clinically important because vital sign documentation and physician orders may use either system depending on the institution, and accurate conversion prevents misidentification of fever or hypothermia.
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