Temperature · Unit Converter

Convert Delisle to Rømer

Convert degrees delisle to degrees rømer instantly. °Rø = 60 − (°De × 7/20) — use the live calculator, the exact formula, a reference-temperature table and worked examples. Also check the Rømer 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

Rømer

What is a degree rømer?

The degree Rømer (°Rø) sets the freezing point of water at 7.5 °Rø and the boiling point at 60 °Rø; one degree Rømer equals exactly 40/21 of a kelvin (about 1.905 K).

Origin of the degree rømer

Created by Danish astronomer Ole Rømer — famous for making the first quantitative measurement of the speed of light — who set 0 °Rø at the temperature of a salt-ice brine and 60 °Rø at boiling water.

Where it is used

Of historical rather than practical importance: it is remembered as the direct ancestor of the Fahrenheit scale and appears mainly in the history of science and in metrology coursework.

When and where it was developed

Devised by Ole Rømer in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1701; Daniel Fahrenheit visited Rømer in 1708 and adapted this scale into his own.

Delisle to Rømer conversion formula

The exact relationship between degrees delisle and degrees rømer:

°Rø = 60 − (°De × 7/20)
°De = 171.4285714286 − (°Rø × 20/7)

To convert degrees delisle to degrees rømer, multiply the value by 7/20 and subtract the result from 60. To reverse, multiply the value by 20/7 and subtract the result from 171.4285714286.

Reference anchors: water freezes at 150 °De = 7.5 °Rø and boils at 0 °De = 60 °Rø (at standard atmospheric pressure).

How to use this converter

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

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

  1. Write down the temperature in degrees delisle (°De).
  2. Multiply the value by 7/20 and subtract the result from 60.
  3. The result is the same temperature expressed in degrees rømer (°Rø).
  4. To reverse, multiply the value by 20/7 and subtract the result from 171.4285714286 — or open the Rømer to Delisle converter.

Worked examples

Example 1 — Convert 94.5 °De to °Rø (human body temperature):
60 − (94.5 × 7/20) = 26.925 °Rø

Example 2 — Convert 0 °De to °Rø (the boiling point of water):
60 − (0 × 7/20) = 60 °Rø

Delisle to Rømer conversion table

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

Delisle [°De]Rømer [°Rø]Reference point
559.725-135.90375Absolute zero
210-13.5Where Celsius and Fahrenheit coincide (−40°)
176.6666666667-1.8333333333Zero Fahrenheit (0 °F)
1507.5Water freezes (0 °C / 32 °F)
149.9857.50525Triple point of water
13512.75Cool day (10 °C / 50 °F)
12018Room temperature (20 °C / 68 °F)
112.520.625Standard laboratory temperature (25 °C)
10523.25Hot day (30 °C / 86 °F)
94.526.925Human body temperature (37 °C / 98.6 °F)
9028.5Heat-wave day (40 °C / 104 °F)
7533.75Hot tap water (50 °C / 122 °F)
060Water boils (100 °C / 212 °F)
-120102Moderate baking oven (180 °C / 356 °F)
-8107.2752897.54625Surface of the Sun (≈5,505 °C)

Frequently asked questions

What is 94.5 °De in °Rø?
94.5 °De equals 26.925 °Rø — normal human body temperature.
How do I convert degrees delisle to degrees rømer?
Use the formula °Rø = 60 − (°De × 7/20): multiply the value by 7/20 and subtract the result from 60.
How do I convert degrees rømer back to degrees delisle?
Apply the reverse formula °De = 171.4285714286 − (°Rø × 20/7) — multiply the value by 20/7 and subtract the result from 171.4285714286 — or use the Rømer to Delisle converter.
At what temperature do the Delisle and Rømer scales read the same number?
Both scales show the same number at 44.4444444444: 44.4444444444 °De = 44.4444444444 °Rø. Set °Rø = °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 (°Rø = 60 − (°De × 7/20)) verified against the following authoritative sources:

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