Mercury Thermometer Vs Alcohol Thermometer - Scienceequip.com.au

Description

A thermometer is an instrument that measures the temperature of any solid, liquid or gaseous matter. It has varied applications in homes, hospitals, science laboratories, restaurants and industrial processes for different purposes such as measuring the temperature of the human body, food, chemical reactions, air leaks, indoors/outdoors, etc.

The most common type of thermometer is made of glass to see the temperature clearly. It has a bulb with a long capillary tube to hold liquid. This liquid is usually mercury or alcohol. Based on what liquid is filled, you can identify it like mercury and alcohol thermometer.

Let’s understand the difference between alcohol and mercury thermometers so that you can put them to the right use and measure the temperature accurately.

Properties of Mercury Thermometer

● It is clearly visible with light silvery colour.● The temperature range that it can measure falls between -37 degree

Celsius (low freezing point) and 356 degree Celsius (high boiling point).

Advantages of Mercury Thermometers

● It is a good conductor of heat and hence, can measure even high temperatures.● It gives results quickly – has a fast response time.● It expands linearly and less than alcohol and any other liquid.● It is more durable than alcohol thermometer because mercury does not evaporate easily.● It is smaller in size as compared to alcohol one.● Mercury does not wet the wall of the thermometer, which means that results can be highly

accurate.

Disadvantages

● It is highly toxic for living beings and the environment if the bulb breaks and mercury leaks out.

● Mercury is difficult to clean, and it can contaminate the surface on which it leaked.

● It cannot measure cold temperatures.● It has low thermal coefficient.

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