Rankine temperature scale definition of Rankine temperature scale in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Rankine temperature scale, temperature temperature, measure of the relative warmth or coolness of an object. Temperature is measured by means of a thermometer or other instrument having a scale calibrated in units called degrees. The size of a degree depends on the particular temperature scale being used.
..... Click the link for more information. 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 Fahrenheit temperature scale (fâr`ənhīt')
..... Click the link for more information. . Absolute zero absolute zero, the zero point of the ideal gas temperature scale, denoted by 0 degrees on the Kelvin and Rankine temperature scales, which is equivalent to −273.15°C; and −459.67°F;.
..... Click the link for more information. , or 0°Ra;, is the temperature at which molecular energy energy, in physics, the ability or capacity to do work or to produce change. Forms of energy include heat , light , sound , electricity , and chemical energy.
..... Click the link for more information. 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 Rankine, William John Macquorn (răng`kĭn), 1820–72, Scottish engineer and physicist.
..... Click the link for more information. , who proposed it in 1859. Another absolute temperature scale, the Kelvin temperature scale Kelvin temperature scale, a temperature scale having an absolute zero below which temperatures do not exist. Absolute zero , or 0°K;, is the temperature at which molecular energy is a minimum, and it corresponds to a temperature of −273.
..... Click the link for more information. , is more commonly used for scientific measurements. See also Celsius temperature scale Celsius temperature scale (sĕl`sēəs)
..... Click the link for more information. .

Rankine temperature scale [′raŋ·kən ′tem·prə·chər ‚skāl]

(thermodynamics)

A scale of absolute temperature; the temperature in degrees Rankine (°R) is equal to ⁹⁄₅ of the temperature in kelvins and to the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit plus 459.67.