Are glass mercury thermometers still available?

While mercury thermometers can measure temperature within one degree Celsius, digital thermometers can be as accurate as 0.001 degrees C a difference of four orders of magnitude in accuracy. This changeover won’t be a big deal for the average person “In fact, you can’t buy [mercury thermometers] anymore,” Strouse said.

How do you reset a glass thermometer?

Glass thermometers don’t always reset themselves after you take a temperature. Grab it at the end away from the tip and swing the thermometer back and forth. Check to make sure it goes down below at least 96.8 °F (36.0 °C); it needs to be under the average body temperature.

How do you work a glass thermometer?

Liquid-in-glass thermometers are based on the principle of thermal expansion of substances. A liquid in a glass tube (called a capillary) expands when heated and contracts when cooled. A calibrated scale can then be used to read off the respective temperature that led to the corresponding thermal expansion.

How do you calibrate a glass thermometer?

Bring water to a rolling boil in a deep saucepan. Place the stem of the thermometer in the boiling water. Again, make sure that it’s submerged at least 2 inches and wait at least 30 seconds. Your thermometer should read 212°F or 100°C.

Why are glass thermometers rarely used today?

why are glass thermometers rarely used today? it contains mercury which is a dangerous element. Threat of mercury spills and leak. … Then the thermometer can be rotated until the mercury column can be seen inside the glass rod.

Are glass thermometers more accurate?

Liquid-in-glass thermometers without mercury are not as accurate, so they should be used when less precision and certainty is acceptable. However, analog alternatives, liquid-in-glass thermometers, and bimetal thermometers are the most economical options, with prices, as of this writing, often under $50.

Can a glass thermometer stopped working?

However, if your thermometer has seemingly stopped working, you can repair it by placing the thermometer in a refrigerator or freezer. If it’s cold enough, it may restore the mercury column on your thermometer.

Where do you put the liquid in a glass thermometer?

Liquid-in-glass thermometers are mainly employed in the Navy and Marine Corps in different configurations. They are also applied in meteorological and oceanographic applications, where they are generally calibrated by graduations eternally engraved into the glass.

Do glass thermometers need calibrated?

High quality liquid-in-glass thermometers require only one complete calibration in their lifetime and it is possible to avoid the usual requirement for complete recalibration of the instrument by the recalibration of a single previously calibrated temperature.

Are glass thermometers accurate?

The accuracy of a typical glass thermometer is ±1 scale division. These are available in partial immersion or total immersion types and typically have to be considerably longer to achieve the same specifications as a mercury thermometer.

Why is a digital thermometer better than a glass one?

1. Digital thermometers provide faster results. Digital thermometers provide fast results as opposed to mercury thermometers whose readings are slower to realize because you have to wait for the mercury to heat and then slowly rise to display the temperature.

What are some of the disadvantages of using a glass thermometer?

Disadvantages. Liquid in glass thermometers tend to be fragile and hence easily broken, can only be used where the liquid column is visible, cannot be used for surface temperature measurements, cannot be read from a distance and are unsuitable for high temperature measurements.

How accurate are glass thermometers?

What are liquid in glass thermometers?

The fluid used in the thermometer is normally either mercury or colored alcohol contained within a bulb and capillary tube, as shown in Fig. 14.18A. As the temperature rises, the fluid expands along the capillary tube and the meniscus level is read against a calibrated scale etched on the tube.

Are glass thermometers more accurate than digital?

Both laboratory and clinical studies show that there is no significant difference in the average accuracy of the two types of thermometers, however there is a greater fluctuation of readings of temperature when using electronic thermometers.

Can a glass thermometer stop working?