Raumur to Delisle Conversion: A Comprehensive Guide

The Réaumur and Delisle scales are historical temperature scales, offering a glimpse into the evolution of scientific measurement. While less prevalent today, understanding their conversions can be valuable for historical research or when working with older scientific data. This guide will provide a clear and concise overview of the conversion process between these two scales.

The Réaumur Scale: A Brief Overview

Developed by René Antoine Ferchault de Raumur in 1730, the Réaumur scale defines the freezing point of water as 0°R and the boiling point of water as 80°R.

The Delisle Scale: A Descending Perspective

In contrast, the Delisle scale, invented by Joseph-Nicolas Delisle in 1732, operates on a descending principle. On this scale, the boiling point of water is designated as 0°D, while the freezing point of water is marked at 150°D.

The Conversion Formula: Bridging the Scales

The key to converting between Réaumur and Delisle lies in the following formula:

**Delisle (°D) = 150 - (Réaumur (°R) * 15/4)**

A Practical Example: Converting 40°R to Delisle

To illustrate the conversion process, let's consider an example: converting 40°R to Delisle degrees.

  1. **Apply the Formula:**

    Delisle = 150 - (40°R * 15/4)

  2. **Calculate:**

    Delisle = 150 - (150) = 0°D

Therefore, 40°R is equivalent to 0D on the Delisle scale.

Réaumur Delisle Réaumur Delisle Raumur Delisle Réaumur Delisle
1ºRé76.25°De21ºRé1.25°De41ºRé-73.75°De61ºRé-148.75°De
2ºRé72.50°De22ºRé-2.50°De42ºRé-77.50°De62ºRé-152.50°De
3ºRé68.75°De23ºRé-6.25°De43ºRé-81.25°De63ºRé-156.25°De
4ºRé65.00°De24ºRé-10.00°De44ºRé-85.00°De64ºRé-160.00°De
5Ré61.25°De25ºRé-13.75°De45ºR-88.75°De65ºRé-163.75°De
6ºRé57.50°De26ºRé-17.50°De46ºRé-92.50°De66ºRé-167.50°De
7ºRé53.75°De27ºRé-21.25°De47ºRé-96.25°De67ºRé-171.25°De
8ºRé50.00°De28ºRé-25.00°De48ºRé-100.00°De68ºRé-175.00°De
9ºRé46.25°De29ºRé-28.75°De49ºRé-103.75°De69ºRé-178.75°De
10ºRé42.50°De30ºRé-32.50°De50ºRé-107.50°De70ºRé-182.50°De
11ºR38.75°De31ºRé-36.25°De51ºRé-111.25°De71ºRé-186.25°De
12ºRé35.00°De32ºRé-40.00°De52Ré-115.00°De72ºRé-190.00°De
13ºRé31.25°De33ºRé-43.75°De53ºRé-118.75°De73ºRé-193.75°De
14ºRé27.50°De34ºR-47.50°De54ºRé-122.50°De74ºRé-197.50°De
15ºRé23.75°De35ºRé-51.25°De55ºRé-126.25°De75ºRé-201.25°De
16ºRé20.00°De36ºRé-55.00°De56ºRé-130.00°De76ºRé-205.00°De
17ºRé16.25°De37ºRé-58.75°De57ºRé-133.75°De77ºRé-208.75°De
18ºRé12.50°De38ºRé-62.50°De58ºRé-137.50°De78ºRé-212.50°De
19ºRé8.75°De39ºRé-66.25°De59ºRé-141.25°De79ºRé-216.25°De
20ºRé5.00°De40ºRé-70.00°De60ºRé-145.00°De80ºRé-220.00°De