When thermometer is laid ouside the sun does it measure suns temperature or air temperature?

Answer 1

If a thermometer is laid out in direct sunlight, it will not measure the temperature of the air surrounding it. It will measure the temperature of the heat directly reaching it.

Answer 2

It will read the temperature of surroundings which is also the temperature of thermometric substance used in the thermometer.

Answer 3

This depends on the type of thermometer - Liquid or coil/electric.

A liquid thermometer is consists of a fluid that changes in volume fairly significantly at different temperatures, or, that is to say, the kinetic energy of the particles in the fluid. When they have more energy, the overall volume of the fluid expands, and since fluids exert a constant pressure on their container, the fluid goes up a tube proportionately. The tube is marked at various heights to show how high the fluid should rise at a certain temperature.

BUT sunlight can also directly give particles energy. Therefore temperature is not the only contributor to the height of the liquid. So in a liquid thermometer in the sun, we usually see elevated temperatures.

I am grouping the coil and electric thermometer in the same category since they don't use dissimilar methods to measure temperature.

These devices have a sensor, either electrical or a coil, that respond to temperature fluctuations in an area that is usually not exposed to sunlight (if the sensors are exposed to sunlight we will see elevated temperature readings for a similar reason to above). These devices should allow air to pass through relatively easily. If this is so, then the temperature readings should be accurate assuming the thermometer is not defective. Although, sometimes the sensors are in a compartment that can heat up in direct sunlight so we will see elevated temperatures again.

The answer to your question is not straightforward and mostly depends on the type and model of thermometer. Either way, if you are putting one up, put it in a shady area at a decent height off the ground.

Answer 4

The actual temperature of the sun is high enough to vaporize Mercury, so a mercury thermometer could not measure it. The thermometer would just explode at that temperature. If a thermometer is placed in direct sunlight what you will get is a somewhat higher reading than that of the ambient air temperature. It could be described as a combined effect of the air temperature and the temperature of the sun, but it is much closer to the former than it is to the latter.

Answer 5

If it measured the temperature of the sun it would burst as the liquid vaporized and then transitioned to plasma.

The thermometer will primarily measure the air temperature but the reading can be elevated if it is also absorbing radiant energy from the sun. This is one reason that if you want to get an accurate reading of air temperature, you should place the thermometer in the shade.

Answer 6

It's measuring the temperature of the mercury, which is determined by the temperature of the glass surrounding it, which is determined by the temperature of the air. Sunlight can also play a factor in this, but the thermometer never measures the temperature of the Sun itself.

Answer 7

Thermometer measure the temperature of the air surrounding thermometer bulb

Reason

. when thermometer is in contact with the object then the equilibrium is between the thermometer and object

.at that time we say. That thermometer measure the temperature of the object

So. In this case thermometer measure the temperature of the air surrounding of thermometer bulb