Wiki User
∙ 14y agoGreat question to think about !
Seems to me that if the expansion of glass were greater than the expansion of Mercury,
then you could easily make thermometers. But when you calibrated them, they would turn
out different from what we have now, because the warmer temperatures would be marked
lower on the glass, and the cooler temperatures would be marked higher on the glass.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoSuppose so, but the mercury would fall, instead of rising with temperature increase.
In a mercury thermometer, the mercury expands when it is heated, causing it to rise in the thermometer's narrow tube. This increase in volume is a physical property of mercury known as thermal expansion. The height of the mercury column in the thermometer is then used to measure the temperature.
The mercury in a thermometer rises because of thermal expansion. When the temperature surrounding the thermometer increases, the molecules of the mercury expand, causing it to move up the narrow tube of the thermometer.
The Mercury expands with temperature. Since expansion is linear over the normal range of a mercury-driven thermometer, the level of mercury within a little glass tube indicates the current temperature of the thermometer's immediate environment.
Mercury rises in a thermometer when the temperature increases because mercury expands as it heats up. This expansion of the mercury column inside the thermometer is used to measure the temperature of the surrounding environment.
The mercury in a thermometer expands and contracts as temperature changes. This expansion and contraction causes the level of mercury in the thermometer to rise or fall, providing a visual indication of the temperature.
Mercury in glass thermometers pose a greater health hazard if broken, as mercury is a toxic substance that can be harmful if inhaled or ingested. Alcohol in glass thermometers are considered less hazardous as alcohol is not as toxic as mercury. It is still important to clean up any broken thermometer carefully to avoid injury.
"thermal expansion"
The thermal expansion of mercury is proportional and linear to temperature.
The Mercury expands with temperature. Since expansion is linear over the normal range of a Mercury-driven thermometer, the level of mercury within a little glass tube indicates the current temperature of the thermometer's immediate environment.
The sensor in a mercury-in-glass thermometer is the glass bulb at the base of the thermometer containing the mercury. The temperature is measured by the expansion or contraction of the mercury based on the surrounding temperature, allowing the thermometer to provide a temperature reading.
Yes, The mercury level would drop as the temperature increased.