Réaumur scale

Apotheke Weisser Storch 6

Réaumur - Celsius thermometer

Réaumur scale (Réaumur) is a temperature scale in which the freezing and boiling points of water are set to 0 and 80 degrees respectively. Named after the French scientist René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, who proposed it in 1730, the Réaumur scale saw widespread use in parts of Europe, particularly in France, Germany, and Russia, before being largely replaced by the more universally accepted Celsius scale.

History

The Réaumur scale was introduced by René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur in a paper titled "Observations du thermomètre, faites à Paris pendant l'année 1735". Réaumur's primary interest was in improving the manufacture of steel and the production of alcohol, which led him to the development of a temperature scale that could be easily replicated. He chose the freezing point of water as the zero point of his scale and divided the scale into 80 parts between the freezing and boiling points of water. Réaumur's thermometers were initially filled with alcohol instead of mercury, as alcohol has a greater range of expansion in common temperatures.

Design and Usage

The design of the Réaumur thermometer was simple and practical for its time. The scale was marked on a glass tube, with 0°Ré indicating the freezing point of water and 80°Ré its boiling point under standard atmospheric pressure. This division was based on the observation that alcohol expands linearly over this temperature range.

Despite its initial popularity, the Réaumur scale was gradually supplanted by the Celsius scale, which offered a more intuitive 100-degree interval between the freezing and boiling points of water. However, the Réaumur scale continued to be used in some industries and regions into the 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in the fields of meteorology and agriculture in certain parts of Europe.

Conversion to Other Temperature Scales

To convert temperatures from Réaumur to Celsius, one can use the formula: \[C = \frac{5}{4}R\] Conversely, to convert from Celsius to Réaumur: \[R = \frac{4}{5}C\] The Réaumur scale can also be converted to the Fahrenheit scale and vice versa through the use of appropriate conversion formulas.

Legacy

Although the Réaumur scale is largely obsolete today, its development marks an important moment in the history of thermometry. It reflects the 18th-century push towards standardization and precision in scientific measurement, a movement that would eventually lead to the development of the International System of Units (SI) and the widespread adoption of the Celsius and Kelvin scales in temperature measurement.

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