Temperature · Unit Converter

Convert Delisle to Newton

Convert degrees delisle to degrees newton instantly. °N = 33 − (°De × 11/50) — use the live calculator, the exact formula, a reference-temperature table and worked examples. Also check the Newton to Delisle converter for the reverse conversion.

Written by Sunith Babu L, Ph.D., Lead Engineer Reviewed by Girish V Kulkarni Ph.D.
Temperature category 2 min read Published Last reviewed Updated

Units explained

Historical Scales

Delisle

What is a degree delisle?

The degree Delisle (°De) is a famously reversed scale: water boils at 0 °De and freezes at 150 °De, so numbers increase as temperature falls. One degree Delisle corresponds to exactly −2/3 of a kelvin.

Origin of the degree delisle

Invented by French astronomer Joseph-Nicolas Delisle while directing the observatory in St. Petersburg, Russia; his thermometers were originally graduated by the contraction of mercury cooling down from the boiling point of water.

Where it is used

Widely used in 18th-century Russia for about a century. Today it appears only in the history of thermometry, where it is the textbook example of an inverted temperature scale.

When and where it was developed

Created by Joseph-Nicolas Delisle in St. Petersburg in 1732; recalibrated to the familiar 150-division form by Josias Weitbrecht in 1738.

Historical Scales

Newton

What is a degree newton?

The degree Newton (°N) sets the freezing point of water at 0 °N and the boiling point at 33 °N, making one degree Newton equal to exactly 100/33 kelvins (about 3.03 K) — the largest degree of any classic scale.

Origin of the degree newton

Devised by Isaac Newton using linseed-oil thermometers and a ladder of everyday reference points such as melting snow and the heat of the human body, published anonymously around 1701.

Where it is used

Never adopted for practical measurement, but historically important: Newton's idea of anchoring a scale to two reproducible fixed points directly influenced Celsius's centigrade approach four decades later.

When and where it was developed

Published by Isaac Newton in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in London, around 1701.

Delisle to Newton conversion formula

The exact relationship between degrees delisle and degrees newton:

°N = 33 − (°De × 11/50)
°De = 150 − (°N × 50/11)

To convert degrees delisle to degrees newton, multiply the value by 11/50 and subtract the result from 33. To reverse, multiply the value by 50/11 and subtract the result from 150.

Reference anchors: water freezes at 150 °De = 0 °N and boils at 0 °De = 33 °N (at standard atmospheric pressure).

How to use this converter

Type a value into the calculator. The result in degrees newton updates as you type. Tap a quick value, copy the result with one click, or use the swap arrow to jump straight to the Newton to Delisle converter for the reverse direction.

Step-by-step: convert degrees delisle to degrees newton

  1. Write down the temperature in degrees delisle (°De).
  2. Multiply the value by 11/50 and subtract the result from 33.
  3. The result is the same temperature expressed in degrees newton (°N).
  4. To reverse, multiply the value by 50/11 and subtract the result from 150 — or open the Newton to Delisle converter.

Worked examples

Example 1 — Convert 94.5 °De to °N (human body temperature):
33 − (94.5 × 11/50) = 12.21 °N

Example 2 — Convert 0 °De to °N (the boiling point of water):
33 − (0 × 11/50) = 33 °N

Delisle to Newton conversion table

Physically meaningful reference temperatures, from absolute zero to the surface of the Sun, converted from degrees delisle to degrees newton:

Delisle [°De]Newton [°N]Reference point
559.725-90.1395Absolute zero
210-13.2Where Celsius and Fahrenheit coincide (−40°)
176.6666666667-5.8666666667Zero Fahrenheit (0 °F)
1500Water freezes (0 °C / 32 °F)
149.9850.0033Triple point of water
1353.3Cool day (10 °C / 50 °F)
1206.6Room temperature (20 °C / 68 °F)
112.58.25Standard laboratory temperature (25 °C)
1059.9Hot day (30 °C / 86 °F)
94.512.21Human body temperature (37 °C / 98.6 °F)
9013.2Heat-wave day (40 °C / 104 °F)
7516.5Hot tap water (50 °C / 122 °F)
033Water boils (100 °C / 212 °F)
-12059.4Moderate baking oven (180 °C / 356 °F)
-8107.2751816.6005Surface of the Sun (≈5,505 °C)

Frequently asked questions

What is 94.5 °De in °N?
94.5 °De equals 12.21 °N — normal human body temperature.
How do I convert degrees delisle to degrees newton?
Use the formula °N = 33 − (°De × 11/50): multiply the value by 11/50 and subtract the result from 33.
How do I convert degrees newton back to degrees delisle?
Apply the reverse formula °De = 150 − (°N × 50/11) — multiply the value by 50/11 and subtract the result from 150 — or use the Newton to Delisle converter.
At what temperature do the Delisle and Newton scales read the same number?
Both scales show the same number at 27.0491803279: 27.0491803279 °De = 27.0491803279 °N. Set °N = °De in the conversion formula and solve to verify it.
Can a temperature be below absolute zero?
No. Absolute zero (0 K = −273.15 °C = −459.67 °F) is the floor of the thermodynamic temperature scale. The calculator flags any input that would fall below it.

Convert Delisle to other temperature units

Show all Delisle conversions

Sources & references

Conversion relationship (°N = 33 − (°De × 11/50)) verified against the following authoritative sources:

Results are provided for general reference. Verify critical measurements against an authoritative standard.