Convert Rankine to Electronvolt
Convert degrees rankine to electronvolts instantly. 1 °R = 4.787407e-5 eV — use the live calculator, the exact formula, a reference-temperature table and worked examples. Also check the Electronvolt to Rankine converter for the reverse conversion.
Units explained
Rankine
The degree Rankine (°R) is the absolute counterpart of the Fahrenheit scale: 0 °R is absolute zero, and one degree Rankine is exactly the same size as one degree Fahrenheit (5/9 of a kelvin). Water freezes at 491.67 °R.
Named for William John Macquorn Rankine, the Scottish engineer and physicist who proposed an absolute scale built from Fahrenheit-sized degrees, paralleling Kelvin's absolute scale built from Celsius-sized degrees.
Used mainly in United States aerospace, thermodynamics, and power-plant engineering, where calculations demand absolute temperature but legacy data, instruments, and codes are in Fahrenheit.
Proposed by W. J. M. Rankine at the University of Glasgow in 1859, eleven years after Lord Kelvin's absolute scale of 1848.
Electronvolt
As a temperature unit, one electronvolt (eV) is the temperature at which a particle's characteristic thermal energy kT equals one electronvolt — exactly 11,604.51812 kelvins under the 2019 SI definitions of e and k.
Comes from the plasma-physics and astrophysics habit of quoting temperatures directly as energies through the Boltzmann relation E = kT, which removes constant unit conversions from the equations of hot ionized matter.
Standard in plasma physics, fusion research, and high-energy astrophysics: the core plasma of a tokamak runs at tens of kiloelectronvolts, while the Sun's core is about 1.3 keV.
Grew out of 20th-century particle- and plasma-physics convention; its kelvin equivalent became an exact number when the 2019 SI revision fixed both the elementary charge and the Boltzmann constant.
Rankine to Electronvolt conversion formula
The exact relationship between degrees rankine and electronvolts:
To convert degrees rankine to electronvolts, multiply the value in degrees rankine by 4.787407e-5. To reverse, multiply the value in electronvolts by 20888.13262.
Both units count upward from absolute zero, so 0 °R = 0 eV and the relationship is a pure ratio.
How to use this converter
Type a value into the calculator. The result in electronvolts updates as you type. Tap a quick value, copy the result with one click, or use the swap arrow to jump straight to the Electronvolt to Rankine converter for the reverse direction.
Step-by-step: convert degrees rankine to electronvolts
- Write down the temperature in degrees rankine (°R).
- Multiply the value in degrees rankine by 4.787407e-5.
- The result is the same temperature expressed in electronvolts (eV).
- To reverse, multiply the value in electronvolts by 20888.13262 — or open the Electronvolt to Rankine converter.
Worked examples
Example 1 — Convert 1 °R to eV:
1 × 4.787407e-5 = 4.787407e-5 eV
Example 2 — Convert 100 °R to eV:
100 × 4.787407e-5 = 0.0047874074 eV
Rankine to Electronvolt conversion table
Physically meaningful reference temperatures, from absolute zero to the surface of the Sun, converted from degrees rankine to electronvolts:
| Rankine [°R] | Electronvolt [eV] | Reference point |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | Absolute zero |
| 419.67 | 0.0200913125 | Where Celsius and Fahrenheit coincide (−40°) |
| 459.67 | 0.0220062754 | Zero Fahrenheit (0 °F) |
| 491.67 | 0.0235382458 | Water freezes (0 °C / 32 °F) |
| 491.688 | 0.0235391075 | Triple point of water |
| 509.67 | 0.0243999791 | Cool day (10 °C / 50 °F) |
| 527.67 | 0.0252617125 | Room temperature (20 °C / 68 °F) |
| 536.67 | 0.0256925791 | Standard laboratory temperature (25 °C) |
| 545.67 | 0.0261234458 | Hot day (30 °C / 86 °F) |
| 558.27 | 0.0267266591 | Human body temperature (37 °C / 98.6 °F) |
| 563.67 | 0.0269851791 | Heat-wave day (40 °C / 104 °F) |
| 581.67 | 0.0278469124 | Hot tap water (50 °C / 122 °F) |
| 671.67 | 0.0321555791 | Water boils (100 °C / 212 °F) |
| 815.67 | 0.0390494457 | Moderate baking oven (180 °C / 356 °F) |
| 10400.4 | 0.4979095159 | Surface of the Sun (≈5,505 °C) |
Frequently asked questions
How many electronvolts is 1 degree rankine?
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Can a temperature be below absolute zero?
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Sources & references
Conversion relationship (1 °R = 4.787407e-5 eV) verified against the following authoritative sources:
- BIPM — The International System of Units (SI Brochure 9th ed.)
Official BIPM publication defining the seven SI base units (including the meter) and the rules for their use. The global authority on units of measurement.
- NIST — Guide to the SI
US National Institute of Standards and Technology reference covering the SI base and derived units with definitions and usage rules for US technical practice.
- NIST Special Publication 811 — Guide for the Use of the International System of Units
Detailed NIST guide covering exact conversion factors between SI and US customary units along with formatting and rounding conventions.
- BIPM — International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90)
The internationally agreed practical temperature scale, defining fixed points (including the triple point of water at 273.16 K) and interpolation instruments used by national metrology institutes for thermometer calibration worldwide.
- CODATA Internationally Recommended Values of the Fundamental Physical Constants
Committee on Data of the International Science Council; authoritative source for the masses of fundamental particles (electron, proton, neutron) and the atomic mass constant.