Thermometer, like most of the scientific gadgets we have, is a product of change and growth. Philo and Hero from ancient Alexandria recognized the principle that certain substances expand or contract given a certain condition. Crude thermometers, or thermoscope, have been developed by the likes of Avicenna during the 11th century and Galileo in 16th century, etc. It was not until Santorio Santorio came along during the early 17th century that a numerical system of measuring heat was used, paving the way to the thermometer we know so well today. The numerical scale during that time varies on each thermometers, and because of various materials used, the accuracy of each readings varies considerably. To resolve this problem, Christian Huygens proposed using the melting and boiling points of water in 1665. In 1694, Carlo Renaldini made the similar proposal with the exception that such points will be used in a universally-accepted scale. Sir Isaac Newton also suggested a scale of 12 degrees between the body temperature and melting point of ice. It was not until 1724 that the thermometers design came to what we all know today. A thermometer manufacturer, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, developed the Fahrenheit scale we now use. His thermometers using mercury also produced finer results, so it was, likewise, adopted. Eighteen years later, Anders Celsius produced a scale using the melting point and boiling point of water, which was later known as Celsius scale. It was more than a century later that Sir William Thompson, more popularly known as Lord Kelvin of Scotland, produced a scale of absolute temperature known as the Kelvin scale.

There are several types of thermometers available in the market. They are classified based on the materials used in its production or the way they measure temperature. Some types of thermometers include but not limited to:

1. Alcohol thermometer.
2. Basal thermometer.
3. Bi-metal mechanical thermometer.
4. Coulomb blockade thermometer.
5. Electrical resistance thermometer.
6. Galileo thermometer.
7. Infrared thermometer.
8. Liquid Crystal Thermometer.
9. Mercury-in-glass thermometer.
10. Oral thermometer.
11. Reversing thermometer.
12 Silicon bandgap temperature sensor
13. Six's thermometer.
14. Thermistor.
15. Thermocouple.

• «« Start
• « Prev
• 1
• Next »
• End »»