Asked by: Ibolya Oetge
science physics

What are thermometers filled with?

21
In a mercury thermometer, a glass tube is filledwith mercury and a standard temperature scale ismarked on the tube. With changes in temperature, themercury expands and contracts, and the temperaturecan be read from the scale. Mercury thermometers can be usedto determine body, liquid, and vaportemperature.


Besides, what liquid is in a thermometer?

You can identify the liquid in athermometer based on its color. Silver liquidindicates that the thermometer contains mercury, while redliquid is alcohol to which red coloring has been added.Although uncommon in modern thermometers, a clear colorindicates water.

Beside above, what liquid is in a Galileo thermometer? The Galileo thermometer consists of a sealedglass tube that is filled with fluid (paraffin oil) andseveral floating bubbles. The bubbles are glass spheres filled witha colored liquid mixture. Attached to each bubble is alittle metal tag that indicates a temperature.

Besides, is the stuff inside thermometers dangerous?

Mercury can be toxic in certain situations.Mercury is not absorbed through intact skin or from a healthydigestive tract in amounts that would cause toxic effects.Therefore, harmful effects would not be expected fromswallowing or touching the small amount of mercury from a brokenthermometer.

What are the 4 types of thermometers?

Here is a look at 7 different types of“thermometers” and to what degree you should trustthem.

  • Forehead strips.
  • Wearable thermometers.
  • Pacifier thermometers.
  • Ear thermometers (tympanic)
  • Forehead thermometers (temporal)
  • Digital thermometers.
  • Mom's hand or lips.

Related Question Answers

Yamilet Yujalin

Professional

Can you touch mercury?

Mercury is a very toxic or poisonous substancethat people can be exposed to in several ways. If it isswallowed, like from a broken thermometer, it mostly passes throughyour body and very little is absorbed. If you touch it, asmall amount may pass through your skin, but not usually enough toharm you.

Mfaddal Vericat

Professional

Is the red liquid in thermometers dangerous?

It's pure alcohol (ethanol), colored with a reddye. It is colored alcohol. No, it is not dangerous since itwould simply evaporate if the thermometer is broken. Isdenatured alcohol dangerous, yes, if you drink enough of it,but the small amount in a thermometer is too miniscule toworry about.

Ryszard Nykie

Professional

Can you use a thermometer for water?

Enjoy the perfect bath – Food thermometerscan also be used to test the temperature of your bathwater. The ideal bath water temperature for adults isabout 102° F; three degrees more than the normal bodytemperature. Boiling water (212° F or 100° C) shouldnever be used, as it will burn the drink and yourmouth.

Lesha Daban

Explainer

When did they stop putting mercury in thermometers?

Since 2001, 20 states have banned mercury“fever thermometers” for medical use, andregulations tighten every year.

Fernanda Hureta

Explainer

Can thermometer mercury cause death?

A large amount in the bloodstream may causemassive blood and fluid loss from diarrhea and kidney failure,leading to death. Organic mercury can cause sicknessif it is breathed in, eaten, or placed on the skin over longperiods of time. Usually, organic mercury causes problemsover years or decades, not right away.

Octaviano Barbu

Explainer

What would happen if I drank mercury?

If mercury vapor is inhaled, it is easilyabsorbed by the body, where it first gets into the lungs and fromthere into the blood and the brain. The nerve poison cancause sleep disorders, agitation, and paralysis.

Raisa Glockel

Pundit

Which thermometer does not use mercury?

There are several types of accurate non-mercurythermometers for home use. Spirit thermometersuse a non-toxic alcohol instead of mercury to registerthe temperature. Like liquid mercury, the alcohol expands involume as it gets warmer, causing the liquid to move up the thintube inside the glass thermometer.

Salvadora Torilo

Pundit

Why is water not used in thermometers?

Water is not helpful to measure below 0oCand above 100oC. The most metals are solids at room temperature butthe mercury is liquid form because it has high coefficient ofexpansion. The mercury does not stick to capillary wall ofthermometer and which can easily measure temperatureaccurately.

Lamara Tzalko

Pundit

Does Mercury have a smell?

Mercury is a shiny, silvery liquid metal that cancause serious health problems. Liquid mercury vaporizes(evaporates) at room temperature causing elevated levels ofmercury in indoor air. Mercury vapor is notirritating and has no odor, so people do notknow when they are breathing it.

Crispo Yoboue

Pundit

What does mercury feel like?

What does it look, feel, taste, or smelllike?[edit] Mercury is a silvery metal that is liquidat room temperature. It is very dense, which means that it is veryheavy even if you don't have very much of it.

Oria Govendyaev

Pundit

How much mercury does it take to kill you?

In fact, renal failure is the main mode of death fororal exposure to liquid mercury, with a lethal dose of 29-50mg Hg/kg.

Todorka Matheson

Teacher

What happens if you breathe in mercury vapor?

Metallic mercury mainly causes health effectswhen inhaled as a vapor where it can be absorbedthrough the lungs. Symptoms of prolonged and/or acute exposuresinclude: tremors. emotional changes (such as mood swings,irritability, nervousness, excessive shyness)

Adahy Iruretagoyena

Teacher

What happens if a thermometer breaks?

If you break a mercury thermometeror light bulb, a small amount of liquid mercury may spill out.Liquid mercury can separate into small beads, which can roll somedistance away. The mercury may also evaporate into vapour. However,this small amount of mercury is extremely unlikely to causeproblems for your health.

Dobrin Grossjohann

Teacher

Do they still use mercury in thermometers?

If there is no liquid in your thermometer, forexample, if it uses a metallic strip or coil to measure temperature(like most meat thermometers do), it is not a mercurythermometer. If the liquid in the thermometer bulb isany color other than silver, it is not a mercurythermometer.

Sherry George

Teacher

Why is mercury bad for you?

Mercury exposure at high levels can harm thebrain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system. High levels ofmethylmercury in the bloodstream of unborn babies and youngchildren may harm the developing nervous system, making the childless able to think and learn.

Ralph Johannwille

Reviewer

How can you tell if you have a mercury thermometer?

How can I tell if my thermometer hasmercury? Mercury is a silver-white to gray substance.If your thermometer is filled with a red liquid, yourthermometer contains red dyed alcohol or mineral spirits andnot mercury. These are safer alternatives to mercuryfever thermometers.

Dionila Matamouros

Reviewer

How long does mercury stay in the air?

Deposition can occur in as little as five tofourteen days after mercury is emitted to the air, orit can take approximately one year – during which timemercury can reside in the air and be transported fararound the globe.

Vasco Etzhold

Reviewer

How accurate is a Galileo thermometer?

A simple, fairly accurate thermometer, today itis mostly used as decoration. The Galileo thermometerconsists of a sealed glass tube that is filled with water andseveral floating bubbles. Since the bubbles are all hand-blownglass, they aren't exactly the same size and shape.

Clyde Fanes

Reviewer

Does a Galileo thermometer have mercury?

This fairly accurate instrument is based on thethermoscope invented by Galileo Galilei in the early 17thcentury. Unlike your typical mercury-in-glassthermometer that's basically a narrow bulb made withmercury that expands and contracts, the Galileothermometer is far more complex.

Co-Authored By:

EveryThingWhat Staff Editor

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19th March, 2020

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