Rankine temperature scale

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | 700+ words | Copyright

Rankine temperature scaletemperature scale having an absolute zero, below which temperatures do not exist, and using a degree of the same size as that used by the Fahrenheit temperature scale . Absolute zero , or 0°Ra, is the temperature at which molecular energy is a minimum, and it corresponds to a temperature of -459.67°F. Because the Rankine degree is the same size as the Fahrenheit degree, the freezing point of water (32°F) and the boiling point of water (212°F) correspond to 491.67°Ra and 671.67°Ra, respectively. The temperature scale is named after the Scottish engineer and physicist William John Macquorn Rankine , who proposed it in 1859. Another absolute temperature scale, the Kelvin temperature scale , is more commonly used for scientific measurements. See also Celsius temperature scale .

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