Worksheet 10.

1
Understanding thermometers
Answer some questions about the design of thermometers.
1 The picture shows two home-made thermometers. The flasks contain
water. As the temperature rises, the water expands and rises up the
narrow tube.

a The flask on the right has a greater volume than the one on the left. As
the temperature rises, how will the levels of water in the two tubes
change?
b If the flask on the left was fitted with a tube with a narrower diameter,
how would this affect its readings?

Cambridge University Press 2014

Worksheet 10.11

IGCSE Physics

2 Amit has a thermometer that he must calibrate.

He measures the length of the column of liquid as shown.

In melting ice: length of column 4.5cm

In boiling water:length of column 20.5cm

a How many centimetres correspond to 100 degrees on the Celsius

scale?
b How long will the column be when the temperature is 50C?
c At room temperature, the column has a length of 6.9cm. What is the
temperature in C?
d Amit puts the thermometer in a freezer. The liquid column shrinks to
2.1cm. What is the temperature in the freezer?
3 Jane wonders if she could make an electrical thermometer by connecting
a resistor to a meter that shows its resistance (in ohms, ).

She places the resistor in boiling water:

its resistance is 482.
She places the resistor in melting ice: its resistance is 470.

Why does this suggest that the resistor will not be very useful as a
thermometer for measuring temperatures in the laboratory?
4 Find out about the different sorts of thermometers that are used by
doctors and nurses for measuring the body temperature of their patients.
Explain the principle of each, and suggest situations where each one
might be appropriate.
Cambridge University Press 2014
Worksheet 10.12

IGCSE Physics