How does a thermometer measure

temperature?
By National Geographic, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.28.17
Word Count 739
Level 930L

The sun shines down on a garden thermometer. The thermometer shows 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit) on
hot summer day. Photo from AP

A thermometer is an instrument that measures temperature. It can measure the temperature of

a solid such as food, a liquid such as water or a gas such as air. The three most common units
of measurement for temperature are degrees Celsius, degrees Fahrenheit and Kelvin.

The Celsius scale is part of the metric system. The metric system of measurement also
includes units of mass, such as kilograms, and units of distance, such as kilometers. The
metric system, including Celsius, is the official system of measurement for almost all countries
in the world. Most scientists measure temperature using the Celsius scale. Zero degrees
Celsius is the freezing point of water. One-hundred degrees Celsius is the boiling point of
water.

The United States, Burma and Liberia adopted the Fahrenheit scale to measure temperature.
However, scientists here also often use the Celsius or Kelvin scale to measure temperature.
Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. 




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The Kelvin scale is used by scientists who need to record very precise temperatures. The
Kelvin scale is the only unit of measurement to include the temperature for "absolute zero."
This is the total absence of any heat energy. Many scientists use Kelvins to calculate the
temperature of objects in cold, cold outer space.

Water freezes at 273 Kelvins, and boils at 373 Kelvins. We do not read outdoor temperatures
in the Kelvin scale because it uses such large numbers. A 75-degree Fahrenheit day would be
read as 297 Kelvins!

Liquid Thermometers

When heated, liquid expands at a regular rate. For this reason, a common form of
thermometer contains a liquid in a narrow glass tube. Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit was a Polish
scientist who invented one of the most familiar types of thermometers. It uses the liquid metal
mercury in a glass. Mercury is a common material used in liquid thermometers. Alcohol can
also be used as a thermometer liquid.

In this thermometer, the liquid sits at the bottom of a bowl, or bulb. When the heat rises, the
liquid expands from the bowl into the empty area, climbing up the tube. When the temperature
falls, the liquid shrinks and goes back down. Liquid thermometers often include both Celsius
and Fahrenheit temperature scales, which are shown on either side of the tube.

Liquid thermometers can be limited by the type of liquid used. Mercury, for instance, becomes
solid at -38.83 degrees Celsius (-37.89 degrees Fahrenheit). Mercury thermometers cannot
measure temperatures below this point. Alcohol boils at about 78 degrees Celsius (172
degrees Fahrenheit). It cannot be used to measure temperatures above this point.

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Electronic Thermometers

Mercury and other liquid thermometers cannot be used to measure temperatures in Kelvins.
Kelvin thermometers are usually electric. They can record tiny variations in radiation, or waves
of energy, that we can't see. These variations are not able to raise the level of mercury in a
liquid thermometer.

Other Thermometers

Today, specialized thermometers are used for many different purposes. A cryometer
measures very low temperatures. Cryometers are used to measure temperatures in space.
Pyrometers are used to measure very high temperatures. Steel companies use pyrometers to
measure the temperatures of iron and other metals.

Astronomers use infrared thermometers to measure temperatures in space, for instance.

Infrared is a type of radiation. These thermometers can pick up infrared radiation at great
distances. They can relate this radiation to a specific temperature on a planet's surface.

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Athletic trainers use pill thermometers. These can prevent and treat heat-related illnesses. An
athlete swallows the pill thermometer, which then transmits information about the body's core
temperature for 18 to 30 hours. Pill thermometers use liquid crystals to track changes in body
heat. They send messages to a place outside the body, like a computer, which shows this
data.

Researchers at Harvard University have created a nanothermometer. It is able to measure tiny

temperature changes inside a single living cell. Scientists are now making technologies that
can change cellular temperatures. These technologies may ultimately be used in medical
treatments that overheat and kill cancer inside cells.

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The world's largest thermometer is in Las Vegas. It measures 134 feet high and
commemorates the highest temperature ever recorded in North America: 134 degrees
Fahrenheit. The nearby desert called Death Valley got this hot 80 years ago.

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