Sensitivity of a thermometer is the length of increase of the liquid per degree rise in temperature. More sensitive means more noticeable expansion. So if you want to increase the sensitivity, you could have a thinner capillary tube, a larger thermometer bulb etc. :)sailesh
The narrow capillary bore allows for more precise measurement of temperature changes because the mercury expands and contracts more readily in the smaller tube. This enables the thermometer to detect even small variations in temperature accurately.
The sensor in a mercury-in-glass thermometer is the glass bulb at the base of the thermometer containing the mercury. The temperature is measured by the expansion or contraction of the mercury based on the surrounding temperature, allowing the thermometer to provide a temperature reading.
German physicist Daniel gabriel Fahrenheit invented the mercury-in-glass thermometer
A mercury-in-glass thermometer, invented by German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, is a thermometer consisting of mercury in a glass tube. Calibrated marks on the tube allow the temperature to be read by the length of the mercury within the tube, which varies according to the heat given to it. To increase the sensitivity, there is usually a bulb of mercury at the end of the thermometer which contains most of the mercury; expansion and contraction of this volume of mercury is then amplified in the much narrower bore of the tube. The space above the mercury may be filled with nitrogen or it may be less than atmospheric pressure, which is normally known as a vacuum.
mercury
Temperature Sensor
Because Mercury expands in heat, it is more accurate than other elements used in thermometers.
For a classic thermometer: glass and mercury, colored ethanol or another liquid.
A liquid-in-glass thermometer is a type of thermometer that consists of a glass tube filled with a liquid, typically mercury or alcohol, which expands or contracts with changes in temperature. The level of the liquid in the tube corresponds to the temperature, allowing for temperature measurement.
When placed in boiling water, the materials comprising the thermometer respond in the order in which the heat penetrates them. As the heat first permeates the glass cylinder, the cylinder expands, enlarging the bore. For the moment until the mercury is also heated, the constant volume of mercury fills the expanded bore to a slightly lower depth. When the heat reaches the mercury and it also expands, its volume to increase, and the liquid depth rises in the bore.
Mercury in glass thermometers pose a greater health hazard if broken, as mercury is a toxic substance that can be harmful if inhaled or ingested. Alcohol in glass thermometers are considered less hazardous as alcohol is not as toxic as mercury. It is still important to clean up any broken thermometer carefully to avoid injury.
No, the external bulb of a thermometer is typically made of glass to hold the mercury inside. Mercury is usually contained within the glass bulb to measure temperature accurately without exposing the user to the toxic substance.