A formula tells you how to work out something given another piece of information.
The formula F = 1.8C + 32 is used to convert a temperature in Centigrade to one in Fahrenheit.
When C = 10, we substitute this value into the formula to get:
F = 1.8 x 10 + 32
F = 18 + 32
F = 50
This means that 10º C is the same as 50º F
The plural of formula can be written as either formulas or formulae.
You will come to know many different formulae in both maths and science work.
Here's another example of a formula:
If we know that we have to double m and add 3 to get n, we can translate this into algebra as follows:
Double m and add 3 can we written as 2m + 3
This is what n equals.
We can write this as a formula:
n = 2m + 3
Let's have a go at some questions now.