Convert delisle to celsius easily.

Ever heard of a temperature scale that gets colder as the numbers go up? Meet the Delisle scale, a quirky relic from 18th century science. While Celsius and Fahrenheit dominate today, Delisle’s inverted measurements offer a fascinating glimpse into how humans tried to make sense of temperature. Whether you’re deciphering old Russian texts or just satisfying historical curiosity, converting Delisle to Celsius isn’t as tricky as it seems. Let’s break it down.

Unit definitions

What is a delisle (°D)?

The Delisle scale, named after French astronomer Joseph-Nicolas Delisle, flips the script: 0°D marks the boiling point of water (100°C), and it increases as temperatures drop. By the time you hit 150°D, you’re at water’s freezing point (0°C). It’s like a thermometer designed by someone who enjoyed doing things backward.

• Symbol: °D
• Common uses: Historical Russian meteorology, 1700s scientific research
• Definition: Based on mercury thermometers calibrated at boiling and freezing points

What is a celsius (°C)?

Anders Celsius’s namesake scale needs little introduction. It’s the global standard for everything from weather reports to oven settings. Water freezes at 0°C and boils at 100°C under standard conditions—a straightforward system that eventually made Delisle obsolete.

• Symbol: °C
• Common uses: Daily weather, cooking, scientific measurements
• Definition: 0°C (freezing) to 100°C (boiling) at 1 atm pressure

Conversion formula

To convert Delisle to Celsius, use this equation:
Celsius = 100 − (Delisle × 2/3)

Why the fraction? Delisle divided his scale into 150 steps between boiling and freezing, while Celsius uses 100. The 2/3 ratio adjusts for that difference. For the reverse (Celsius to Delisle):
Delisle = (100 − Celsius) × 1.5

Example calculations

1. Converting 75°D to Celsius:
   Celsius = 100 − (75 × 2/3)
   = 100 − 50
   = 50°C
   (A hot day in the desert!)
2. Converting 200°D to Celsius:
   Celsius = 100 − (200 × 2/3)
   = 100 − 133.33
   = -33.33°C
   (Colder than Antarctica’s average!)

Conversion tables

Delisle to Celsius

Celsius to Delisle

Historical background

Joseph-Nicolas Delisle created his scale in 1732, initially dividing the range between water’s boiling and freezing points into 2,400 increments. Yes, 2,400, talk about precision! Later, Josias Weitbrecht simplified it to 150 degrees, making it slightly more practical. Russia adopted Delisle’s system for nearly a century, partly because Delisle worked at teh Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences. But by the mid 1800s, Celsius’s simplicity won out. Today, Delisle survives mostly in footnotes and trivia nights.

Interesting facts?

1. Negative Delisle? Possible, but it’d mean temperatures above 100°C—think pressure cookers, not weather forecasts.
2. A scale of extremes: Delisle’s original 2,400-degree system could theoretically measure down to -753°C.
3. Survival in Siberia: Some 19th-century Russian journals reported winter temps in Delisle, like 200°D (-33°C).
4. Pop culture cameo: The Delisle scale briefly appears in Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth.
5. Thermometer rivalry: Delisle’s mercury design competed with Fahrenheit’s alcohol thermometers in accuracy debates.

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