Thermometer

<p>A thermometer is a device that <a href="/facts/Temperature_measurement/p44AF78I">measures temperature</a> (the hotness or coldness of an object) or <a href="/facts/Temperature_gradient/YhWj21zy">temperature gradient</a> (the rates of change of temperature in space). A thermometer has two important elements: (1) a temperature sensor (e.g. the bulb of a <a href="/facts/Mercury-in-glass_thermometer/lQbzIl72">mercury-in-glass thermometer</a> or the pyrometric sensor in an <a href="/facts/Infrared_thermometer/X2UDBl6Q">infrared thermometer</a>) in which some change occurs with a change in temperature; and (2) some means of converting this change into a numerical value (e.g. the visible scale that is marked on a mercury-in-glass thermometer or the digital readout on an infrared model). Thermometers are widely used in technology and industry to monitor processes, in <a href="/facts/Meteorology/xblFr28q">meteorology</a>, in medicine (<i><a href="/facts/Medical_thermometer/hIA9TlP9">medical thermometer</a></i>), and in scientific research.
</p>

Thermometer open-in-new

Thermometer