Convert Reaumur to Wedgwood easily.

Ever wondered how 18th-century potters measured kiln temperatures without modern gadgets? That’s where quirky units like Reaumur and Wedgwood come into play. While you won’t find these on your kitchen thermometer, they’re fascinating relics of scientific history. Let’s unpack their stories and how to convert between them.

Unit definitions

What is a reaumur (°ré)?

• Description: A temperature scale created in 1730 by French scientist René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur.
• Symbol: °Ré
• Common uses: Once popular in Europe for food processing (cheesemaking) and industrial applications.
• Definition: Sets water’s freezing point at 0°Ré and boiling point at 80°Ré.

What is a wedgwood (°w)?

• Description: An obsolete high-temperature scale developed by Josiah Wedgwood for pottery kilns.
• Symbol: °W
• Common uses: Measuring kiln temperatures in 18th-century ceramics production.
• Definition: 1°W corresponds to approximately 130°C above a baseline, calibrated using clay shrinkage.

Conversion formula

To convert Reaumur to Wedgwood:
°W = (°Ré × 1.25 − 107.7) ÷ 0.0714

And vice versa:
°Ré = (°W × 0.0714 + 107.7) ÷ 1.25

Example calculations

1. Converting 100°Ré to Wedgwood:
   °W = (100 × 1.25 − 107.7) / 0.0714
   = (125 − 107.7) / 0.0714
   ≈ 242.3°W
2. Converting 500°W to Reaumur:
   °Ré = (500 × 0.0714 + 107.7) / 1.25
   = (35.7 + 107.7) / 1.25
   ≈ 114.7°Ré

Conversion tables

Reaumur to Wedgwood

Wedgwood to Reaumur

Historical background

The Reaumur scale was all the rage in 1700s Europe. René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur designed it with an 80-division system between freezing and boiling water, which made calculations simpler in pre-metric Europe. Fun fact: Swiss alpine cheesemakers still use it occasionally, proving old units never truly die.

Josiah Wedgwood, whom founded the Wedgwood pottery empire, needed a way to gauge kiln heat without thermometers. His solution? The Wedgwood scale, based on how much clay shrinks when fired. Each “degree” represented a specific shrinkage rate, roughly equal to 130°C. While innovative, it lacked the precision we expect today. Still, it’s a testament to how industrial needs drive measurement systems.

Interesting facts

1. Pottery Precision: A 500°W kiln was ideal for hardening porcelain without cracking it.
2. Cheese Legacy: Reaumur’s 80-degree scale aligns neatly with aging periods for cheeses like Gruyère.
3. Clay Calibration: Wedgwood tested his scale by observing how thin clay bars deformed under heat.
4. Scientific Rivalry: Réaumur’s scale competed with Celsius and Fahrenheit, fading after the metric system’s rise.
5. Modern Niche: Some historical reenactment kilns use Wedgwood measurements for authenticity.

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