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Galileo Thermometer

by Corinth

Science, Physics

File ( 7MB )

Free

Description

A **Galileo thermometer** is a thermometer that uses the **density of liquids to measure temperature**. This type of thermometer was invented by **Galileo Galilei**. He had noticed that the density of a liquid depends on its temperature.



The thermometer is made of a glass tube filled with a liquid (ethanol). Inside, there are other glass bulbs with other liquids. ***When the temperature changes the density of the “tube” liquid is changed***. As a consequence, the smaller containers may **fall to the bottom, or rise to the surface**.



To read the temperature we need to look at the lowest ball that is floating. Sometimes the divers may not be floating or sinking, then the temperature is somewhere between the sunken diver and the top diver that hasn't sunk yet. A Galileo thermometer is **not a precise instrument**. Nowadays, Galileo thermometers are used mainly for decoration.