Convert Temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit in Java

Topic

In this Java program, we will learn how to convert a temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit. This type of program is often asked in beginner-level interviews to test your understanding of basic arithmetic operations and input/output in Java.

The formula to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit is: Fahrenheit = (Celsius * 9/5) + 32.

Examples

  • Input: 0 °C → Output: 32.0 °F
  • Input: 100 °C → Output: 212.0 °F
  • Input: -40 °C → Output: -40.0 °F (interesting edge case where both scales match)

Interviewer Expectations

The interviewer expects you to:

  • Understand and apply a given formula correctly
  • Use arithmetic operations with floating-point numbers
  • Display formatted output using System.out.println
  • Write clean and readable Java code

Approach

To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit:

  1. Declare a variable for Celsius temperature.
  2. Apply the formula: fahrenheit = (celsius * 9 / 5) + 32.
  3. Print the result.

Dry Run:

Let’s dry run the example where Celsius = 25:


Fahrenheit = (25 * 9 / 5) + 32
           = (225 / 5) + 32
           = 45 + 32
           = 77.0

Java Program

public class TemperatureConverter {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    double celsius = 25;
    double fahrenheit = (celsius * 9 / 5) + 32;

    System.out.println("Celsius: " + celsius);
    System.out.println("Fahrenheit: " + fahrenheit);
  }
}
Celsius: 25.0
Fahrenheit: 77.0

Possible Followup Questions with Answers

1. How do you convert Fahrenheit to Celsius?

You can use the reverse formula: Celsius = (Fahrenheit - 32) * 5 / 9.

2. How would you accept user input for Celsius in your program?

import java.util.Scanner;

public class TemperatureConverter {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
    System.out.print("Enter temperature in Celsius: ");
    double celsius = scanner.nextDouble();
    double fahrenheit = (celsius * 9 / 5) + 32;

    System.out.println("Fahrenheit: " + fahrenheit);
  }
}

3. What happens if you use integer division accidentally?

If you write celsius * 9 / 5 and celsius is an integer, you might lose precision. Always use double for accurate results in temperature conversion.

Mallikarjuna Mallisetty, author
About the author

Mallikarjuna Mallisetty

General programming

Mallikarjuna shares practical programming tutorials and foundational concepts designed to help developers learn by building and experimenting.

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