It takes only 30 seconds for a digital thermometer to give you a reading because the heat-sensitive tip is able to accurately tell the computer chip inside what the temperature is. The measure of this current is an indication of the temperature of the element. Copyright © 2020 Mocomi & Anibrain Digital Technologies Pvt. The tube’s bore is extremely small—less than 0.02 inch (0.5 millimeter) in diameter. Accessible across all of today's devices: phones, tablets, and desktops. The mercury turns into liquid and so it expands. We are so glad it helped you. These markings are increasing temperatures in Celsius or Fahrenheit. Thank you Gareth. These markings are increasing temperatures in Celsius or Fahrenheit. A higher-than-normal thermometer reading can be a sign of a fever. To re-enable the tools or to convert back to English, click "view original" on the Google Translate toolbar. Enter your email address and name below to be the first to know. Please note: Text within images is not translated, some features may not work properly after translation, and the translation may not accurately convey the intended meaning. Britannica does not review the converted text. is a Thermometer? Login or Register above to download the content. He also proposed the first widely used temperature scale, which bears his name. Kids.Net.Au - Dictionary > Definition: thermometer . Resistance thermometers depend on the predictable change of electric resistance with temperature in certain metals or semiconductors. Instead of that we can learn more about science. A higher-than-normal thermometer reading can be a sign of a fever. Digital thermometers are different because they use a computer chip to tell the temperature instead of mercury. Temperature measurement is important to a wide range of activities, including manufacturing, scientific research, and medical practice. We’ve been busy, working hard to bring you new features and an updated design. An optical pyrometer uses a lightbulb-type filament controlled by a rheostat, or dimmer switch, which is calibrated so that the colors of the filament correspond to the surface temperatures. For higher temperatures pure metals such as platinum may be used up to about 2,900° F (1,600° C). A thermometer is an instrument for measuring or showing temperature (how hot or cold something is). It contains tools for weather education, including weather games, activities, experiments, photos, a glossary and educational teaching materials for the classroom. Where it stops, is where you can take the temperature reading on the scale. A thermometer is an instrument for measuring or showing temperature (how hot or cold something is). The tube’s thick, curved face acts as a magnifier that makes the thin thread of mercury clearly visible. In making a liquid thermometer, the mercury is ordinarily driven to the top of the tube by heating. They utilize various oxides of nickel, manganese, or cobalt and work best in the temperature range of about –60° to 300° F (–50° to 150° C). Can you explain why there is such a big difference? So-called thermistors are widely used for the resistance element. Record the temperature of your body after a cold shower and after a bit of exercise. Weather Wiz Kids is a fun and safe website for kids about all the weather info they need to know. A new, third level of content, designed specially to meet the advanced needs of the sophisticated scholar. To share with more than one person, separate addresses with a comma. I needed this information for my project and this is one of the best website I could find. Temperature definition is - degree of hotness or coldness measured on a definite scale. On the Celsius scale, it would be 37 °C. If steel and brass strips are fastened on top of each other and then heated, for instance, the combined strip will bend. Such devices are sometimes used as thermostats, or temperature controllers, in such places as automobile water-cooling systems. The amount of bending is a measure of the temperature increase. We hope you and your family enjoy the NEW Britannica Kids. For very high or very low temperatures, as well as for very accurate measurements, liquid-in-glass thermometers are not suitable. Weather Instruments. Define thermometer. An analog thermometer consists of a sealed tube with markings on it. Another form makes use of the different expansion of different solids when heated. Thermometers take advantage of a scientific property called thermal expansion. A constant voltage is applied, and a minuscule current flows that is inversely proportional to the resistance. Temperature is measured by an instrument called a thermometer.