What temperature is 6°C colder than 1°C? Give your answer in °C.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer:
-5°C
Explanation:
To find a temperature that is 6°C colder than 1°C, we are looking for a value that is 6 degrees less than 1°C. In mathematical terms, you perform a subtraction:
1°C − 6°C = -5°C
This result, -5°C, means that the temperature is 5 degrees below zero on the Celsius scale.
On the Celsius scale, zero degrees (0°C) represents the freezing point of water. Temperatures lower than 0°C are expressed using negative numbers. For example, -1°C is one degree below freezing, -2°C is two degrees below freezing, and so on.
In this case, 1°C is just slightly above freezing. If you go 6°C colder than that, you are moving left on the number line by 6 units. Starting at 1 and subtracting 6 gives you -5.
This concept can also be visualized using a number line:
- Start at 1.
- Move 6 steps to the left.
- You land on -5.
This problem helps reinforce understanding of negative numbers and how subtraction works across zero. Going colder means decreasing temperature, and on the Celsius scale, that can take you from positive to negative temperatures.
It’s also important to understand that “colder than” indicates a subtraction operation in temperature comparisons. So when a question asks what temperature is 6°C colder than another, it’s telling you to subtract 6 from the given temperature.
In conclusion, 6°C colder than 1°C is -5°C, and this answer shows how to work with negative numbers and temperatures below the freezing point.
