Some cool facts about Thermometer - Mocomi Kids

Physics for Kids

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Thermometer 50 Â°C 40 30 20 10 0

A thermometer is an instrument we can use to measure temperature. Analog thermometers consist of a sealed tube with markings on it which are increasing temperatures in Celsius or Fahrenheit. The markings on a clinical and weather thermometer are different but they work in the same way. F UN FOR ME!

Thermometer The glass tube of a thermometer usually contains mercury. Mercury is perfect to test temperature because it changes from a solid to liquid very easily. When the metal tip of the thermometer comes into contact with the material it is testing, it conducts heat energy to the mercury. The mercury turns into liquid and begins to rise up the tube. When it stops is where you can take the temperature reading on the scale.

Glass tube

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Metal tip

Mercury

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Thermometer

Digital thermometers are different because they use a computer chip to tell the temperature instead of mercury. You would normally have to wait a whole three minutes for the mercury to heat up and give you a reading. 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. F UN FOR ME!

Thermometer

PROJECT Ask your parent to allow you to use the house thermometer. Record your temperature. Record the temperature of your body after a cold shower and after a bit of exercise. Can you explain why there is such a big difference? For more such fun physics articles and videos, visit: http://mocomi.com/learn/science/physics/

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