# Delisle to Rankine (°De to °R)

Source: https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/temperature/delisle-to-rankine/

To convert Delisle to Rankine, use the formula: R = 671.67 - De x 6/5. The Delisle scale runs backwards compared to most temperature scales, with higher numbers indicating colder temperatures. 0 Delisle (boiling) = 671.67 degrees Rankine, 150 Delisle (freezing) = 491.67 degrees Rankine.

## Formula

°De via Kelvin to °R

## Conversion Table

| Delisle (°De) | Rankine (°R) |
|---|---|
| 0 °De | 671.67 °R |
| 50 °De | 611.67000000001 °R |
| 100 °De | 551.66999999999 °R |
| 150 °De | 491.67 °R |
| 200 °De | 431.67000000001 °R |
| 250 °De | 371.66999999999 °R |
| 300 °De | 311.67 °R |
| 350 °De | 251.67000000001 °R |
| 400 °De | 191.66999999999 °R |
| 500 °De | 71.670000000001 °R |
| 559 °De | 0.86999999999992 °R |

## Units

### Delisle (°De)

A historical inverted temperature scale invented by Joseph-Nicolas Delisle in 1732. Water boils at 0 °De and freezes at 150 °De. Higher numbers mean colder temperatures.

### Rankine (°R)

An absolute temperature scale using Fahrenheit-sized degrees. 0 °R equals absolute zero. Used in some US engineering applications, especially thermodynamics.

## Background

This conversion bridges the 18th-century Russian-adopted Delisle scale with the Rankine scale. Historical Russian temperature records from the era of Catherine the Great and earlier require this conversion for comparison with modern scientific data expressed in Rankine units.

## Good to Know

The Delisle-Rankine conversion connects 18th-century Russian empirical science to 20th-century American thermodynamic engineering. Rankine was developed by William John Macquorn Rankine in 1859 as an absolute temperature scale for Fahrenheit users, paralleling Kelvin's absolute scale for Celsius users. Neither Rankine nor Delisle imagined their scales would one day appear in the same conversion table.

## FAQ

### How do you convert Delisle to Rankine?

Use the formula R = 671.67 - De x 6/5. 0 Delisle (boiling) = 671.67 degrees Rankine, 150 Delisle (freezing) = 491.67 degrees Rankine.

### Why does the Delisle scale run backwards?

Delisle measured how far below the boiling point a temperature was. Higher numbers meant further from boiling, which means colder. This inverted logic was logical for his laboratory work but confusing for everyday use.

### When would you need to convert Delisle to Rankine?

When interpreting historical Russian scientific records from the 18th-19th centuries and converting them to Rankine for modern analysis or comparison.

## Non-Frequently Asked Questions

### Is the Delisle-to-Rankine conversion the most obscure temperature conversion possible?

It is certainly among the most niche. Delisle is a defunct 18th-century Russian scale. Rankine is a specialized American engineering scale. The number of people who have ever needed to convert between them directly could probably fit in a small room - and they would all be either historians of Russian science or unusually thorough textbook authors.

### Do Delisle and Rankine have anything in common?

Both are related to better-known scales: Delisle to Celsius (inverted), Rankine to Fahrenheit (absolute). Both were created for scientific purposes. And both are now used primarily in conversion tables rather than in active measurement. They are the supporting actors of thermometry - important for completeness, rarely the stars.

### If a Russian scientist in 1750 met an American engineer in 1960, could they agree on a temperature?

With great difficulty. The Russian would say '100 Delisle' (33.3 degrees C). The American would say '92 Fahrenheit' (33.3 degrees C). Neither would recognize the other's scale. They would need Celsius as a shared translator - which is exactly why Celsius eventually won as the international standard.

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## See Also

- [Rankine to Delisle](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/temperature/rankine-to-delisle/)