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Table of selected pointsEdit

The following table gives a comparison of the numerical value of temperatures on a number of different scales:

Kelvin Celsius Fahrenheit Rankine Delisle Newton Réaumur Rømer
Absolute zero 0 −273.15 −459.67 0 559.725 −90.14 −218.52 −135.90
Fahrenheit's ice/salt mixture 255.37 −17.78 0 459.67 176.67 −5.87 −14.22 −1.83
Water freezes (at standard pressure) 273.15 0 32 491.67 150 0 0 7.5
Average human body temperature
(See note below)
310.0 36.8 98.2 557.9 94.5 12.21 29.6 26.925
Water boils (at standard pressure) 373.15 100 212 671.67 0 33 80 60
Titanium melts 1941 1668 3034 3494 −2352 550 1334 883
The surface of the Sun 5800 5526 9980 10440 −8140 1823 4421 2909

Note: Normal human body temperature is 36.8 °C ±0.7 °C, or 98.2 °F ±1.3 °F. The commonly given value 98.6 °F is simply the exact conversion of 37 °C, and therefore has excess (invalid) precision. Some numbers in this table have been rounded off.

Formulas for conversionEdit

Given any two fixed points, the formula for conversion between any two scales in the table above can be determined. If two rows and two columns appar as:

Scale X Scale Y
Fixed point 1 a b
Fixed point 2 c d

the formula can be derived:

$(^\circ Y) = p(^\circ X) + q$

where

$p = {b - d \over a - c}$

and

$q = {ad - bc \over a - c}$.

Chart of conversions between the different temperature unitsEdit

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