2006-12-01 13:23:04 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit invented both the alcohol (1709) and then the mercury (1714) thermometers.
Both types are made of a special glass tube which has a bulb on one end and a narrow capillary along the length of the tube.
Both types also work by using the thermoexpansion of a liquid. Alcohol needs to be colored to make it easier to view. This is not a problem with mercury.
Mercury as a liquid, has a useful range of about - 38 °C to 350 °C, while the alcohol most commonly used has a range from - 114 °C to 79 °C.
Mercury is much more toxic than any alcohol.
2006-12-01 16:12:42 · answer #1 · answered by Richard 7 · 71⤊ 0⤋
i might nevertheless use it as long as i'm useful that i could save it from getting broken. If it quite is stored so as that purely adults could get at them, and you're careful once you're dealing with it, it quite is not ordinary to argue against continuing to apply it. The old mercury thermometers are precise, and fully risk-free as long as they don't get broken. on the different hand, whilst they are broken, loose mercury is nasty stuff. in case you have small teenagers vacationing, however, it quite is terrific to ditch the thermometers. there's a danger they're going to do some thing to interrupt the thermometer. regrettably, loose liquid mercury is unthreatening, quite to look at, pleasing to play with, and heavily poisonous over the years, and teenagers if unsupervised will probably do issues like play with it or worse consume it to that end severely increasing their exposure.
2016-10-17 14:27:46 · answer #2 · answered by winstanley 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The difference between alcohol and mercury in a thermometer is their density. Since mercury and alcohol have different densities, at different levels of pressure their heights change at different rates.
In case you are wondering
Pressure = density x gravity x height
so you can solve for the height that mercury and alcohol will be at at different pressures. (And pressure changes with temperature)
2006-12-01 13:33:24 · answer #3 · answered by Ken F 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are many more types of thermometers as well. Check out the link below for a full discussion
2006-12-01 13:27:37 · answer #4 · answered by websnark 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yA sure i will tell u
1. Mercury
1.Thermometric markings from 35degreeC to 45'C
2.HIgh boiling pt.
3.High coeficiant of expansion
4Uniform rate of expansion.]
5.opaque and silvery
Alcohol
1.May stick to walls of thermometer.
2Non uniform rate of expansion.
3.transperent.
Low boiling pt.
.Low freezing pt of -117'C
.
2006-12-01 21:34:05 · answer #5 · answered by SSS 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋