Final answer:
The student's question involves the Fahrenheit temperature scale, where -22°F is 22 degrees below the freezing point of water (32°F), indicating a cold environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Fahrenheit scale is a temperature scale used in the English system of measurement. On this scale, the freezing point of water is 32°F and the boiling point of water is 212°F. When the thermometer shows 22 degrees below zero, it is indicating a temperature of -22°F. A temperature below the freezing point of water indicates a very cold environment, which on the Celsius scale would be even colder since each degree Celsius is 1.8 times larger than one degree Fahrenheit.
To understand temperatures on the Fahrenheit scale, it's important to note that it has a lower fixed point (freezing point of water) and a higher fixed point (boiling point of water) compared to the Celsius scale. This results in a 180 degree span between the two points, which is divided into 180 equal parts, known as degrees Fahrenheit. So, the Fahrenheit scale is both times shorter and shifted up by 32 compared to the Celsius scale, making the relationship between them (°F = (°C × 9/5) + 32). For the given temperature of -22°F, converting it to Celsius would involve using the reverse of this formula: (°C = (°F - 32) × 5/9).