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To determine the steam point, place the bulb of the thermometer in steam from pure water o boiling at r.t.p. Then make the marking 100 C. Divide the interval between the ice and steam point into 100 parts, each marking is a measure of o 1 C.
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Volume of fixed mass of liquid Electrical voltage of e.m.f Electrical resistance of a piece of metal Expansion of bimetallic strip (temperature sensor) c.
Features of a good thermometer i. Easy to read scale ii. Safe to use iii. Sensitive to temperature changes / Accurate (able to react to small changes in temp.) iv. Wide range of temperature
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Constructing a Temperature Scale a. Choose an appropriate substance (e.g. Mercury) b. Choose 2 fixed points which are easily obtainable and reproducible. E.g. i. Ice Point: Lower fixed point temperature of o pure melting ice at 0 C. ii. Steam Point: Upper fixed point temperature at which boiling water changes into steam at o r.t.p. (100 C) iii. Read the values of the physical property (e.g. length of mercury column / voltage) at these 2 fixed points. c. Set up the scale. In the Celsius scale of temperature, there are 100 equal divisions between the 2 fixed points.
The general equation for the Centigrade Scale used to summarize the relationship between the temperature and the length of mercury: X X0 a. 100 C X100 X0 b. Note: The numerator represents the measured length whereas the denominator represents the total length / range of the thermometer. c. X can be any physical property that varies uniformly with temperature. The Kelvin Scale is based on the theory that there is a lowest positive temperature in the universe known as the absolute zero. a. At 0 K (absolute zero), it is the temperature whereby all possible thermal energy has been transferred from the body. b. The unit for this is Kelvin (K). The unit for Kelvin is the same as Celsius, but it starts at absolute zero. c. Thus to convert from: o i. Kelvin Celsius: Add 273 C. ii. Celsius Kelvin: Subtract 273K.
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Physics (Syllabus 5058): Measurement | Newtonian Mechanics | Thermal Physics | Waves | Electricity and Magnetism Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission from the author.
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The walls of the long tube above the bulb are made of glass. 8.
The fine tube allows a noticeable movement of the liquid column for a small change in temp. (better sensitivity). The uniform tube ensures even expansion of the liquid. This acts as a magnifying glass for easy reading of the mercury thread in the stem.
Features of the Clinical Thermometer: This allows for rapid conduction of heat through the thin glass wall to the mercury contained in the bulb. It allows for greater accuracy and shorten the length of the stem.
The bore of capillary tube is very fine. The scale is limited to a small range o between 35 C and o 42 C. Narrow constriction above the bulb
This ensures that the maximum temperature of the body is recorded (prevents the contracting mercury from flowing back into the bulb when taken out of mouth) Acts as a magnifying glass in 1 direction for easy reading of the mercury thread.
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The sensitivity of a mercury in glass thermometer can be increased by a. Using a narrower capillary tube, and b. Using a bigger mercury bulb.
When the junctions are at different temperatures, a voltage is produced. The larger the temperature difference, the larger the voltage produced. d. Equation: (e.m.f. is directly proportional to temperature difference) e. Advantages of a thermocouple thermometer: i. Able to measure a large temperature range by choosing different materials for the wires. ii. Thermometer can be used to measure temperatures at a point as wire junctions are very small. iii. This also allows it to be more responsive to rapidly changing temperatures due to small wire junctions and good conductors of metals. iv. As the output is an electrical signal, it can be connected to a computer for checking rapid/sudden temperature changes.
-78 C 115 C Cheap No Forces between Solid Strong intermolecula Liquid Not as strong in Gas Negligible forces,
Physics (Syllabus 5058): Measurement | Newtonian Mechanics | Thermal Physics | Waves | Electricity and Magnetism Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission from the author.
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molecules
Motion of molecules
r forces solid, holding molecules molecules in slide. fixed positions Close arrangement of particles High densities Arranged Not close arranged together in in regular regular pattern pattern Vibrate about Free to fixed move positions about confined space
c. d.
thus bombarding the smoke particles more often, Causing the motion of the smoke particles to become more vigorous and change direction more often.
Low. Far apart, mainly empty space Move randomly at high speed, colliding with each other. Can be easily compress ed. Molecule s move even more randomly and collide more.
Compressio n
When heated
Cannot be compressed as molecules are close together, little space between them. Molecules Molecules gain energy, vibrate vibrate more, about separation more between vigorously molecules , thus increase liquids slightly expands.
21. When the temperature of the gas increases, a. The Kinetic Energy of the gas molecules increases, b. The force on the container due to the collisions and speed of the air molecules increases, c. Thus as the force increase over the same area, the pressure increases. d. The volume of the gas also increases as it expands in order for the pressure to remain constant.
22. When the number of gas molecules increase, a. There will be more collisions between the molecules and the walls of the container, b. Thus the accumulated forces between the molecules and the container is higher, c. Causing the force per area ratio to increase, increasing the pressure.
27. Therefore, conductors are able to transmit heat faster as both mechanisms above take place at the same time, whereas insulators can transmit heat only through collisions between particles.
Physics (Syllabus 5058): Measurement | Newtonian Mechanics | Thermal Physics | Waves | Electricity and Magnetism Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission from the author.
34. Good conductors of heat: Used when thermal energy has to be transferred quickly through a substance. a. Cooking Utensils: Kettles and Saucepans are usually made of metal where direct heating is involved. 35. Bad conductors of Heat (Insulators): Used when loss of thermal energy is minimized. a. Handles of appliances and utensils: Saucepans, kettles and teapot handles are made of plastics to ensure that we can carry the appliance without scalding our hands. b. Snow: The Eskimos build their igloos from snow as snow reduces heat loss by conduction (snow is a poor conductor of heat). c. Sawdust: Used to cover ice blocks due to its good insulating property.
36. Common applications of convection: a. Electric Kettles: The heating coil is placed at the bottom of the kettle to aid transfer of thermal energy in water by convection. b. Household hot water systems c. Air conditioners: It is installed near the ceiling of a room to facilitate setting up of convection currents. As cool air is denser, it sinks and the warm air is drawn into the air con where it is cooled. 37. Common applications of radiation: a. Teapots: Shiny teapots can keep tea warm for a longer time compared to black teapots. b. Greenhouses: A greenhouse is used in cold climates to help plants grow better by trapping infrared radiation. c. Vacuum Flasks: The vacuum flask is designed to keep liquids hot by minimizing heat loss in 4 ways: i. Conduction, convection, evaporation: Stopper is made of plastic which is a poor conductor of heat, it prevents heat loss through convection and evaporation. ii. Conduction and Convection through the sides of the flask is prevented by the vacuum between the double glass walls of the flask. iii. Radiation: Heat loss is harder to stop as radiant heat can pass through a vaccum.
Physics (Syllabus 5058): Measurement | Newtonian Mechanics | Thermal Physics | Waves | Electricity and Magnetism Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission from the author.
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