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Why does the mercury not fall or rise in a clinical thermometer when taken out of the mouth?
Wiki User
∙ 7y ago
Leonora Medhurst
Mercury does not fall or rise in a clinical thermometer when taken out from the mouth because of the KINK present in it.
Josianne Prohaska
Mercury does not fall or rise in a clinical thermometer when taken out from the mouth because of the KINK present in it.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoMercury does not fall or rise in a clinical thermometer when taken out from the mouth because of the KINK present in it.
Wiki User
∙ 7y agoThere is a constriction in the tube, forming a bottle-neck.. Shaking the thermometer will get the mercury back to the bulb at the bottom.
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Why is there a constriction in a clinical thermometer?
The constriction prevents the mercury from returning back to the bulb when the thermometer is removed from a particular body.
Why care must be taken when disposing of a mercury-in-glass thermometer?
Well i'm not that old but i know a few:1)The thermometer will be of two types; a) Clinical Thermometer b) Laboratory Thermometer;a) The Clinical Thermometer: used to measure the temperature of the human body, at home, clinics and hospitals.b) The Laboratory Thermometer: used to measure the temperature in school and other laboratories for scientific research.Precautions:Wash the thermometer before and after use with an antiseptic solution, and handle it with care.See that the mercury levels are below the kink and don't hold the thermometer near its bulb.While noting down the reading in the thermometer, place the mercury level along the eye sight.Do not place the Clinical thermometer in a hot flame or in the hot sun.Note:The Clinical Thermometer should go above 108*F (42*C) and below 94*F (35*C) otherwise it might blow off the top and leak. Therefore, a Clinical Thermometer is used to measure the body temperature.
Why there is kink in clinical thermometer?
In a normal clinical thermometer, the mercury moves up and down the capillary tube as the temperature changes and thus if you removed it from contact with the patient the reading would steadily fall as it cooed. As you need a clinical thermometer to give you a reading of the patients temperature even after it has been removed from the patient, you need to stop the mercury shrinking back into the reservoir. The 'kink' breaks the connection between the mercury in the capillary tube and the reservoir so the reading given is accurate. On the other hand before it can be used again the mercury in the capillary tube has to be vigorously shaken back into the reservoir.On a point of interest, clinical thermometers are getting very rare because they have been phased out due to concerns regarding mercury poisoning should they break in use.
Why does the mercury fall or rise in a clinical thermometer when it is taken out of the mouth?
A clinical thermometer measures the max temp of the human body due to the expansion of the mercury in the bulb, which flows past a kink in the column and rises in the graduated stem, to read the highest body-temp. Once it is removed from the body, the mercury stays at that level, and does not fall because it cannot flow back into the bulb -- the kink prevents the back flow. It has to be shaken vigorously, as you know, for us to get the mercury back; then it is ready to take the temp again.. Also, the temp cannot rise further on its own from the max reading because the mercury does not expand the moment the thermometer is taken out of the body. Incidentally, temp can be measured under the armpits and in the rectum also.
Why is there bend in a clinical thermometer?
It is made prismatic to refract maximum light towards its base & make mercury shining. It makes easy to take reading.
What is the function of constriction in clinical thermometer?
In case of ordinary thermometer if the thermometer is taken out the body whose temperature has been seen, the Mercury would fall down as the bulb gets cooled. But in case of clinical thermometer even after the thermometer has been taken out of the mouth of the patient the level of mercury would be held at the same level though the bulb falls to the room temperature. So doctor could see the temperature liesurely. To bring back the mercury to lowest level we have to give jerks to the thermometer by shaking it.
Why is a clinical thermometer usually shaken after use?
Well, a clinical thermometer is shook after use so that the mercury comes back to its initial point i.e. where it had been before the temperature was taken.
Why is there a constriction in a clinical thermometer?
The constriction prevents the mercury from returning back to the bulb when the thermometer is removed from a particular body.
Why care must be taken when disposing of a mercury-in-glass thermometer?
Well i'm not that old but i know a few:1)The thermometer will be of two types; a) Clinical Thermometer b) Laboratory Thermometer;a) The Clinical Thermometer: used to measure the temperature of the human body, at home, clinics and hospitals.b) The Laboratory Thermometer: used to measure the temperature in school and other laboratories for scientific research.Precautions:Wash the thermometer before and after use with an antiseptic solution, and handle it with care.See that the mercury levels are below the kink and don't hold the thermometer near its bulb.While noting down the reading in the thermometer, place the mercury level along the eye sight.Do not place the Clinical thermometer in a hot flame or in the hot sun.Note:The Clinical Thermometer should go above 108*F (42*C) and below 94*F (35*C) otherwise it might blow off the top and leak. Therefore, a Clinical Thermometer is used to measure the body temperature.
Why there is kink in clinical thermometer?
In a normal clinical thermometer, the mercury moves up and down the capillary tube as the temperature changes and thus if you removed it from contact with the patient the reading would steadily fall as it cooed. As you need a clinical thermometer to give you a reading of the patients temperature even after it has been removed from the patient, you need to stop the mercury shrinking back into the reservoir. The 'kink' breaks the connection between the mercury in the capillary tube and the reservoir so the reading given is accurate. On the other hand before it can be used again the mercury in the capillary tube has to be vigorously shaken back into the reservoir.On a point of interest, clinical thermometers are getting very rare because they have been phased out due to concerns regarding mercury poisoning should they break in use.
Why does the mercury fall or rise in a clinical thermometer when it is taken out of the mouth?
A clinical thermometer measures the max temp of the human body due to the expansion of the mercury in the bulb, which flows past a kink in the column and rises in the graduated stem, to read the highest body-temp. Once it is removed from the body, the mercury stays at that level, and does not fall because it cannot flow back into the bulb -- the kink prevents the back flow. It has to be shaken vigorously, as you know, for us to get the mercury back; then it is ready to take the temp again.. Also, the temp cannot rise further on its own from the max reading because the mercury does not expand the moment the thermometer is taken out of the body. Incidentally, temp can be measured under the armpits and in the rectum also.
Why is there a need for us to shake the clinical thermometer prior to each use?
If the clinical thermometer is a mercury based thermometer, it needs to be shaken down prior to each use. This is because there is a pinch point between the mercury reservoir bulb and the capillary tube, to ensure that the mercury does not shrink back into the bulb after the temperature has been taken. The mercury has therefore to be shaken back into the bulb before another measurement can be made. One should note that in many countries use of mercury based clinical thermometers is now discouraged (because mercury is toxic) and electronic thermometers are used in stead - these do not need shaking.
Why is there bend in a clinical thermometer?
It is made prismatic to refract maximum light towards its base & make mercury shining. It makes easy to take reading.
When heat is taken away from something what happens to the mercury in the thermometer?
It contracts.
How is temperature taken through an oral placement?
The procedure for taking a patient's temperature by mouth with a mercury thermometer is similar to the axillary method except that the silver tip of the thermometer is placed beneath the tongue for four to five minutes before being read.
Why lab thermometer do not have kink?
the temparature of the liquid must be read while the thermometer is in the liquid.since the level of mercury drops as soon as the thermometer is taken out of the liquid ,therefore no need of the kink in thermometer.
What precautions should be taken when using mercury base thermometer?
don't break it. If you do open the windows.
