Convert Delisle to Kelvin

Convert Delisle (°De) to Kelvin (K) instantly and accurately.

Conversion Formula

K = 373.15 − °De × 2/3

About Delisle

Delisle (°De) was created by French astronomer Joseph-Nicolas Delisle in 1732 and used in Russia for nearly a century before metrication. Uniquely, the scale is inverted: it increases as temperature decreases. Water boils at 0°De and freezes at 150°De - the opposite of Celsius. Delisle calibrated his mercury thermometer against the boiling point of water, assigning it zero. The scale was adopted by the Russian Academy of Sciences and used by astronomers and naturalists across the Russian Empire throughout the 18th century. It still appears in historical scientific records from that era.

About Kelvin

Kelvin (K) is the base unit of thermodynamic temperature in the International System of Units (SI), named after British physicist Lord Kelvin (William Thomson). It starts at absolute zero (0 K = -273.15°C), the theoretical point where all molecular motion ceases. Unlike other scales, Kelvin uses no degree symbol. This scale is essential in physics, chemistry, and astronomy: room temperature is about 295 K, water freezes at 273.15 K, and the Sun's surface is approximately 5,778 K. It's used in scientific calculations because it's directly proportional to molecular kinetic energy.

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