Thermometers Liquid Thermometersliquid Expands at A Regular

A thermometer is an instrument that measures temperature.
It can
measure the temperature of a solid such as food, a liquid such as
water, or a gas such as air. The three most common units
of measurement for temperature are Celsius, Fahrenheit, and kelvin.
The Celsius scale is part of the metric system. The metric
system of measurement also includes units of mass, such as
kilograms, and units of length, such as kilometers. The metric system,
including Celsius, is the official system of measurement for almost all
countries in the world. Most scientific fields
measure temperature using the Celsius scale. Zero degrees Celsius is
the freezing point of water, and 100 degrees Celsius is the boiling
point of water. Three nations do not use the Celsius scale. The United
States, Burma, and Liberia use the Fahrenheit scale to
measure temperature. However, even in these countries, scientists
use the Celsius or kelvin scale to measure temperature. Water freezes
at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Kelvin scale is used by physicists and other scientists who need
to record very precise temperatures. The kelvin scale is the only unit
of measurement to include the temperature for "absolute zero," the
total absence of any heat energy. This makes the kelvin
scale essential to scientists who calculate the temperature of objects
in the cold reaches of outer space. Water freezes at 273 kelvins, and
boils at 373 kelvins. We do not read outdoor temperatures in
the kelvin scale because it uses such large numbers—a 75-degree
Fahrenheit day would be read as 297 kelvins! Types of
Thermometers Liquid ThermometersLiquid expands at a regular,
measureable rate when it is heated. For this reason, a common form
of thermometer contains a liquid in a narrow glass tube. Mercury is
one of the most familiar materials used in liquid thermometers.
Other liquids, such as kerosene or ethanol, may also be used in these
types of thermometers. When heat rises, the liquid expands from a
bowl or bulb into the empty area, climbing up the tube. When
the temperature falls, the liquid contracts and goes back
down. Liquid thermometers often include both Celsius and
Fahrenheit temperature scales, which are displayed on either side of
the tube. A maximum thermometer is a familiar type
of liquid thermometer. In a maximum thermometer, the liquid is pushed
up the glass tube, but cannot fall easily when the temperature lowers.
The maximum temperature over a set period of time can
be observed after the thermometer is removed from
the environment. Maximum thermometers are commonly used to
measure a person’s body temperature. Liquid thermometers can be
limited by the type of liquid used. Mercury, for instance, becomes a
solid at -38.83 degrees Celsius (-37.89 degrees
Fahrenheit). Mercury thermometers cannot
measure temperatures below this point. Alcohols, such as ethanol, boil
at about 78 degrees Celsius (172 degrees Fahrenheit). They cannot
be used to measure temperatures above this point. Electronic
ThermometersMercury and other liquid thermometers cannot be used
to measure temperatures in kelvins. Kelvin thermometers are usually
electric devices that can record tiny variations in radiation.
These variations would not be visible and may not change air
pressure enough to raise the level of mercury in
a liquid thermometer. Electronic thermometers work with
an instrument called a thermistor. A thermistor changes its resistance
to an electric current based on the temperature. A computer measures
the thermistor’s resistance and converts it to
a temperature reading. Other
ThermometersToday, specialized thermometers are used for a variety
of purposes. A cryometer measures very low temperatures, for
instance. Cryometers are used to measure temperatures in
space. Pyrometers are used to measure very high temperatures.
The steel industry uses pyrometers to measure the temperatures of
iron and other metals. Astronomers use infrared thermometers to
measure temperatures in space, for
instance. Infrared thermometers detect infrared radiation at great
distances and correlate it to a specific surface temperature. In 1965,
an infrared thermometer detected radiation with a temperature of 3
kelvins (-270 degrees Celsius/-454 degrees Fahrenheit) in all
directions in space. Astronomers deduced that this very
cold radiation was probably the faint remnant of the Big Bang—the
expansion of the universe from a single point that began
approximately 13.82 billion years ago. Athletic trainers use pill
thermometers in order to prevent and treat heat-related illnesses
like heatstroke. After being swallowed,
a pill thermometer transmits information about the body's
core temperature for 18 to 30 hours. Pill thermometers use liquid
crystals to track changes in body heat and transmit radio waves to a
source outside the body, which records and displays this data.
Researchers at Harvard University have developed
a nanothermometer that is able to
measure temperature variations inside a single living cell. Using a
nanowire “needle,” researchers inject carbon nanocrystals into a cell’s
interior. These crystals are less than 5 nanometers in length (a sheet
of paper is 100,000 nanometers thick) and detect incredibly
small fluctuations in temperature. Scientists are now
developing nanocrystal technologies that can
change cellular temperatures. These technologies may ultimately be
used in medical treatments that overheat and kill cancer at
the cellular level.

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A thermometer is an instrument that measures temperature.

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