GBC
Temperature

Rankine (°R)

Modern equivalent

Absolute scale where 0°R = -459.67°F

An absolute temperature scale using Fahrenheit-sized degrees, proposed by the Glasgow engineer William John Macquorn Rankine in 1859.

Rankine stands to Fahrenheit exactly as Kelvin stands to Celsius: it begins at absolute zero but advances in Fahrenheit-sized steps. A pioneer of thermodynamics alongside Kelvin and Clausius, Rankine devised the scale so that engineers working in imperial units could apply the new thermodynamic laws without converting their figures. It remains in use in parts of American aerospace and combustion engineering.

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