rankine scale

Ran·kine scale   (rāng'kĭn)    n.  A scale of absolute temperature having the same degree increments as those of the Fahrenheit scale, in which the freezing point of water is 491.69° and the boiling point of water is 671.69°. [After William John Macquorn Rankine (1820-1872), Scottish engineer and physicist.]

Main Entry: Ran·kine
Pronunciation: 'ra[ng]-k&n
Function: adjective
: being, according to, or relating to an absolute-temperature scale on whichthe unit of measurement equals a Fahrenheit degree and on which the freezing point of water is 491.67° and the boiling point 671.67°
Rankine, William John Macquorn(1820–1872), British physicist and engineer. Rankine was one of the founders of the science of thermodynamics. In 1843 he published a paper on metal fatigue in railway axles that attractedthe attention of physicists and railway engineers and brought about new methods of construction. He published in 1858 a Manual of Applied Mechanics that became a classic text for designingengineers and architects, and a year later he introduced a manual on the steam engine that was the first attempt at a systematic treatment of steam-engine theory.

Rankine scale   (rāng'kĭn)  Pronunciation Key  A scale of absolute temperature having the same degree increments as those of the Fahrenheit scale, in which the freezing point of water is 491.69° and the boiling point is 671.69°. A temperature in degrees Fahrenheit is converted to a temperature in degrees Rankine by the addition of 459.67°.