Convert Rankine to Newton
Convert degrees rankine to degrees newton instantly. °N = (°R − 491.67) × 11/60 — use the live calculator, the exact formula, a reference-temperature table and worked examples. Also check the Newton 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.
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.
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.
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.
Published by Isaac Newton in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in London, around 1701.
Rankine to Newton conversion formula
The exact relationship between degrees rankine and degrees newton:
To convert degrees rankine to degrees newton, subtract 491.67 from the value, then multiply by 11/60. To reverse, multiply the value by 60/11, then add 491.67.
Reference anchors: water freezes at 491.67 °R = 0 °N and boils at 671.67 °R = 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 Rankine converter for the reverse direction.
Step-by-step: convert degrees rankine to degrees newton
- Write down the temperature in degrees rankine (°R).
- Subtract 491.67 from the value, then multiply by 11/60.
- The result is the same temperature expressed in degrees newton (°N).
- To reverse, multiply the value by 60/11, then add 491.67 — or open the Newton to Rankine converter.
Worked examples
Example 1 — Convert 1 °R to °N:
(1 − 491.67) × 11/60 = -89.9561666667 °N
Example 2 — Convert 100 °R to °N:
(100 − 491.67) × 11/60 = -71.8061666667 °N
Rankine to Newton conversion table
Physically meaningful reference temperatures, from absolute zero to the surface of the Sun, converted from degrees rankine to degrees newton:
| Rankine [°R] | Newton [°N] | Reference point |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | -90.1395 | Absolute zero |
| 419.67 | -13.2 | Where Celsius and Fahrenheit coincide (−40°) |
| 459.67 | -5.8666666667 | Zero Fahrenheit (0 °F) |
| 491.67 | 0 | Water freezes (0 °C / 32 °F) |
| 491.688 | 0.0033 | Triple point of water |
| 509.67 | 3.3 | Cool day (10 °C / 50 °F) |
| 527.67 | 6.6 | Room temperature (20 °C / 68 °F) |
| 536.67 | 8.25 | Standard laboratory temperature (25 °C) |
| 545.67 | 9.9 | Hot day (30 °C / 86 °F) |
| 558.27 | 12.21 | Human body temperature (37 °C / 98.6 °F) |
| 563.67 | 13.2 | Heat-wave day (40 °C / 104 °F) |
| 581.67 | 16.5 | Hot tap water (50 °C / 122 °F) |
| 671.67 | 33 | Water boils (100 °C / 212 °F) |
| 815.67 | 59.4 | Moderate baking oven (180 °C / 356 °F) |
| 10400.4 | 1816.6005 | Surface of the Sun (≈5,505 °C) |
Frequently asked questions
What is 1 °R in °N?
How do I convert degrees rankine to degrees newton?
How do I convert degrees newton back to degrees rankine?
At what temperature do the Rankine and Newton scales read the same number?
Can a temperature be below absolute zero?
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Sources & references
Conversion relationship (°N = (°R − 491.67) × 11/60) 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.