Fahrenheit to Rankine Converter

Fahrenheit (°F) is a temperature scale where 32°F is the freezing point of water and 212°F is the boiling point of water at standard atmospheric pressure. The scale uses 180 degrees between these two reference points.

The Fahrenheit scale was developed by German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit in 1724. He originally set 0°F as the temperature of a mixture of ice, water, and ammonium chloride, and 96°F as human body temperature. The scale was later refined to use water's freezing and boiling points as reference.

Fahrenheit is primarily used in the United States, Belize, and a few Caribbean nations for weather reporting, cooking, and everyday temperature measurements. It remains the standard for medical thermometers, household thermostats, and weather forecasts in these countries, though scientific applications typically use Celsius or Kelvin.

Rankine (°R) is an absolute temperature scale that uses Fahrenheit-sized degrees but starts at absolute zero, similar to Kelvin. One degree Rankine equals one degree Fahrenheit, with 0°R being absolute zero.

The Rankine scale was developed by Scottish engineer and physicist William John Macquorn Rankine in 1859. It was created to provide an absolute temperature scale for engineering applications in countries using the Fahrenheit system, combining the familiar Fahrenheit degree size with the scientific concept of absolute zero.

Rankine is primarily used in engineering applications in the United States, particularly in thermodynamics, heat transfer calculations, and steam power systems. It's used in some specialized engineering software and textbooks, though Kelvin is increasingly preferred even in American scientific and engineering contexts.