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Mercury has a much lower freezing point and much higher boiling point than water; it freezes at -−38.8290 °C, ​−37.8922 °F compared to 0 °C or 32 °F for water and boils at 356.73 °C, ​674.11 °F compared to 100 °C, 212 °F for water. It thus remains a liquid over a much wider range of temperatures covering the entire normal liquid range of water. When it does freeze, it contracts - unlike water which actually expands upon freezing (water is weird that way) so if the thermometer freezes, it won't shatter the capillary. Mercury also has the advantage of being opaque compared to water, which is transparent. That makes it easier to read the edge of the column unless you color the water.

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Q: Why mercury is preferred to water as the mark of thermometer?
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How does a thermometer work as a tool to measure thermal energy?

The first units of heat (Fahrenheit and Celsius) were created based on the thermometer. Not the other way around. That way, the thermometer would always be accurate. The thermometer works by putting a specific amount of mercury (a strange metallic substance) inside a tube of a specific volume. When the thermometer is heated, the mercury expands, pushing itself up the tube. The mark that it reaches is measured and recorded in degrees.


How Will You Calibrate a thermometer in degree Celsius.. ..?

The thermometer was used by the originators of the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales.Anders Celsius, a Swedish Astronomer, devised the Celsius scale, which was described in his publication the origin of the Celsius temperature scale in 1742.Celsius used two fixed points in his scale: the temperature of melting ice and the temperature of boiling water. This wasn't a new idea, sinceIsaac Newton was already working on something similar. The distinction of Celsius was to use the melting temperature and not the freezing temperature. The experiments for reaching a good calibration of his thermometer lasted for 2 winters. By performing the same experiment over and over again, he discovered that ice always melted at the same calibration mark on the thermometer. He found a similar fixed point in the calibration of boiling water vapour (when this is done to high precision, a variation will be seen with atmospheric pressure). At the moment that he removed the thermometer from the vapour, the mercury level climbed slightly. This was related to the rapid cooling (and contraction) of the glass.The air pressure influences the boiling point of water. Celsius claimed that the level of the mercury in boiling water is proportional to the height of the barometer.When Celsius decided to use his own temperature scale, he originally defined his scale "upside-down", i.e. he chose to set the boiling point of pure water at 0 °C (212 °F) and the freezing point at 100 °C (32 °F).[1] One year later Frenchman Jean Pierre Cristin proposed to invert the scale with the freezing point at 0 °C (32 °F) and the boiling point at 100 °C (212 °F). He named it Centigrade.[2]Finally, Celsius proposed a method of calibrating a thermometer:Place the cylinder of the thermometer in melting pure water and mark the point where the fluid in the thermometer stabilises. This point is the freeze/thaw point of water.In the same manner mark the point where the fluid stabilises when the thermometer is placed in boiling water vapour.Divide the length between the two marks into 100 equal pieces.These points are adequate for approximate calibration but both vary with atmospheric pressure. Nowadays, the triple point of water is used instead (the triple point occurs at 273.16 kelvins (K), 0.01 °C).


What are the natural random uncertainties in reading your thermometer and balance?

The uncertainty of a measuring instrument is estimated as plus or minus (±) half the smallest scale division. For a thermometer with a mark at every 1.0°C, the uncertainty is ± 0.5°C. This means that if a student reads a value from this thermometer as 24.0°C, they could give the result as 24.0°C ± 0.5°C


How can a human find out his own volume?

Water displacement. get in a tub of measured water, mark where water level is when fully submerged, measure difference. Simplest if not the most accurate way of doing something.


What is meant by linearity of thermometer?

it is the uniform expansion of the liquid (mercury) to temperature which give the reading.

Related questions

How does a thermometer work as a tool to measure thermal energy?

The first units of heat (Fahrenheit and Celsius) were created based on the thermometer. Not the other way around. That way, the thermometer would always be accurate. The thermometer works by putting a specific amount of mercury (a strange metallic substance) inside a tube of a specific volume. When the thermometer is heated, the mercury expands, pushing itself up the tube. The mark that it reaches is measured and recorded in degrees.


How could you calibrate a thermometer which had no scale marked?

Put it in a pot of water. Boil the water. Then mark the spot on the thermometer at which the water boils - the spot you marked will be 100 degrees celsius. Then put it in water in the freezer and mark it. The point at which the water freezes will be 0 degrees celsius. Then measure the length between 0 and 100 and make 9 equal marks for each 10 degrees and your thermometer is calibrated.


How do you use the clinical theamometer?

1.shake the thermometer vigorously so that the murcery goes below the normal mark 2.keep the rhermometer either in the armpit or under the tongue of the person whose temperature is to be taken 3.wait for 2 minutes 4.take out the thermometer and read the mark where the silver mark of mercury ends


Where do you place a thermometer to check the 0 degrees mark?

Crushed ice, with added water so it's a slushy type mixture.


Why does the Fahrenheit scale start from 32 degrees?

Fahrenheit established the scale on his thermometer by setting zero as the temperature outside on a very cold day - basically he set zero at a condition where things were as cold as he could find. He set 100 as being body temperature; normal body temperature is now considered to be around 98.6 °F but we can certainly accept this small deviation. 32 °F just happens to be the temperature that corresponded to the normal freezing point of water on the scale he established.


How can you measure a room height using a thermometer?

1) Place thermometer perpendicular to the floor and against the wall. 2) Make a mark on the wall at the top of the thermometer. 3) Shift thermometer up so bottom is at mark. 4) Repeat 2) and 3) until close to the ceiling. 5) Shift thermometer up until it touches ceiling and mark location of highest mark on thermometer to determine fraction of thermometer length for last segment. This would give the height of the room in units of "thermometers". This is not a standard unit of measurement, but it is a measurement. If you desire a more standard unit like centimeters, then measure the length of the thermometer and multiply by height of the room in "thermometers". However, you didn't say whether you had a ruler for measuring the thermometer. As as alternative, you could look up the length of the thermometer in the catalog from which it was purchased.


What are the marks in the thermometer?

Assuming you're talking about a glass thermometer, each mark or 'tick' on the thermometer stands for a 5 degree increase/decrease. Most thermometers should have their degrees labeled in increments of 10, with one mark in between symbolizing an increment of 5, which is (most of the time) unmarked.


What has the author Mark Fabi written?

Mark Fabi has written: 'Red Mercury'


How Will You Calibrate a thermometer in degree Celsius.. ..?

The thermometer was used by the originators of the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales.Anders Celsius, a Swedish Astronomer, devised the Celsius scale, which was described in his publication the origin of the Celsius temperature scale in 1742.Celsius used two fixed points in his scale: the temperature of melting ice and the temperature of boiling water. This wasn't a new idea, sinceIsaac Newton was already working on something similar. The distinction of Celsius was to use the melting temperature and not the freezing temperature. The experiments for reaching a good calibration of his thermometer lasted for 2 winters. By performing the same experiment over and over again, he discovered that ice always melted at the same calibration mark on the thermometer. He found a similar fixed point in the calibration of boiling water vapour (when this is done to high precision, a variation will be seen with atmospheric pressure). At the moment that he removed the thermometer from the vapour, the mercury level climbed slightly. This was related to the rapid cooling (and contraction) of the glass.The air pressure influences the boiling point of water. Celsius claimed that the level of the mercury in boiling water is proportional to the height of the barometer.When Celsius decided to use his own temperature scale, he originally defined his scale "upside-down", i.e. he chose to set the boiling point of pure water at 0 °C (212 °F) and the freezing point at 100 °C (32 °F).[1] One year later Frenchman Jean Pierre Cristin proposed to invert the scale with the freezing point at 0 °C (32 °F) and the boiling point at 100 °C (212 °F). He named it Centigrade.[2]Finally, Celsius proposed a method of calibrating a thermometer:Place the cylinder of the thermometer in melting pure water and mark the point where the fluid in the thermometer stabilises. This point is the freeze/thaw point of water.In the same manner mark the point where the fluid stabilises when the thermometer is placed in boiling water vapour.Divide the length between the two marks into 100 equal pieces.These points are adequate for approximate calibration but both vary with atmospheric pressure. Nowadays, the triple point of water is used instead (the triple point occurs at 273.16 kelvins (K), 0.01 °C).


Who was the lead singer for Guttermouth?

Mark "Mercury" Adkins,


Where is mint mark on mercury dime 1945?

The mint mark position on all Mercury dimes is to the right of the E in the word ONE on the reverse of the coin. No mint mark = Philadelphia D = Denver S = San Francisco


How do you change a water pump on a 1992 mercury capri xr2?

you have to take off the timing belt. be sure to mark belt & gears so you get it off time