Experiment No: 01

Measurement of Temperature with different types of thermometers.

Objective:
The main objective to perform this experiment is to check that which type of thermometer
gives us the fast and most accurate results.

Apparatus:
I used the following apparatus to perform this experiment:
 Temperature measurement bench
 Ice Storage tank
 Water heating cattle
 Supply wires
 Power supply (AC)
 Ice
 Water
 Glass thermometer
 Bimetallic thermometer
 Vapor Pressure thermometer
Theory:
Temperature of the body is actually the average of heat of molecules. Thermometer is the
instrument used to measure the temperature of different bodies.
We generally have different types of thermometers as follows:
1)Glass thermometer
2) Bimetallic thermometer
3)Vapor Pressure thermometer

1) Glass Thermometer:
Glass thermometer is the type of thermometer that consists of the mercury in the
glass rod and on glass covering the temperature is mentioned in Celsius, Fahrenheit and
Kelvin scales. Mercury is such a substance that expands very fast as it gets hot and similarly
it gets condensed fastly.
2) Bimetallic Thermometer:
The thermometer that uses two strips of different metals to convert temperature to
mechanical displacement is called as bimetallic thermometer. Thermal expansion property
of material is responsible for the working of Bimetallic Strip. Tendency of metal in which the
variation of temperature results in variation of volume of metal is called as its thermal
expansion property.
3) Vapor Pressure Thermometer:
It consists of the highly volatile liquid that when gets heated converts to steam and
fill the rest of volume of thermometer. This steam applies the pressure on the temperature
indicating pin and hence shows the temperature to us.
Procedure:
1) First of all I turned on the power supply to temperature measuring bench.
2) Then, I noted the initial temperatures indicated by the glass, bimetallic and vapor pressure
thermometer.
3) Then I poured the water into the water heating cattle bowl and turned on the electric supply
to water heating cattle.
4) I then put the ice into the ice storage tank and first of all measured the time taken by the
glass thermometer to reach the 0 degree centigrade. I also noted this time for both the
bimetallic and vapor pressure thermometer and noted the readings in the observation table.
5) Then I put all the thermometers to let them to reach the initial temperature again.
6) Then, as the water started boiling, I checked the time taken by the all three thermometers to
reach the temperature of 100 degree centigrade and noted them in the table.
7) After performing the experiment, I turned the power supply off to temperature measuring
bench and returned the apparatus to the staff.

Observations and calculations:

Thermometer Initial Current temperature Time from initial
temperature temperature to
current
temperature(s)
Glass Thermometer 16°C 0°C 14.8
100°C 17
Bimetallic 19°C 2°C 70
Thermometer 100°C 32
Vapor Pressure 15°C 10°C 58
Thermometer 100°C 51

Precautions:
Following precautions should be taken while performing this experiment:
 1) Do not touch the supply points with wet hands
2) Do not put finger or hand in the boiling water in the cattle
3) Carefully handle the equipments

Conclusion:
After performing this experiment I concluded that the glass thermometer is one of the
thermometers that gives us the fastest and the accurate temperature result or response. This is
because the mercury used in it is too much sensitive that it contracts and expands quickly.That is
why we commonly see the glass thermometer being used such as in medicine.