[Virginia Tech Department of Physics]

Lecture Demonstrations

Heat & Thermodynamics
   

H09: Galileo's Thermometer

 

Purpose: To demonstrate temperature and iIts effect on density

Description:

 

This classic thermometer ingeniously uses the expansion of liquids and floating spheroids to measure temperature. The density of each spheroid has been adjusted to correspond exactly with the density of the supporting liquid at the designated temperature. The six spheroids float at low temperatures and sink at temperatures ranging from 65° to 90° F in increments of 5°.

Warm the thermometer up before class and let the spheres drop as the water cools to room temperature. Can be used as a challenge question about how it works (see the teaching suggestions link below).

Equipment List: Storage Location: CHEMP 130A
  Galileo's Thermometer C4.6

References:

Manual: Online   Setup Notes: H09 PIRA #:
Manufacturer(s): Sargent-Welch # WLS81480 Other school's Demonstration web pages

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