Question

A clinical thermometer can not be used to measure:
A) Room temperature
B) Human body temperature
C) Temperature of the boiling water
D) Temperature of lake water

Answer 1

Hint: In Physics, we use words that define the process and are relevant to the process. Here, we used a Clinical thermometer. Clinical means relating to the observation and treatment of patients.

Complete step by step answer:
The thermometer can be both empirical or relative and absolute as well. In the former case, some reference is taken to measure the next rise in temperature while in the latter case, we can directly and definitely get the exact temperature of the system. In both kinds of thermometers, exact scaling and calibration are required to measure the temperature. Any thermometer requires some time to get stable with temperature and set up equilibrium with the immediate surrounding (body of the patient or subject we want to observe). The first thermometer was invented by Dutch scientist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit which used Mercury as its major component in glass vessels. There are several other materials that can be used as tools to measure the degree of hotness of a body. It includes alcohol, water mixtures, etc. In the late 1880s, Sir Thomas Clifford Allbutt invented the clinical thermometer which takes just five minutes to record the temperature of the body.

A clinical thermometer is also known as a medical thermometer and used to measure human (in general animal) body temperature.

Therefore, a clinical thermometer can not be used to measure Room temperature, Temperature of the boiling water, Temperature of lake water. So, (A),(C) and (D) are correct.

Note:
A clinical thermometer has a range of temperature from 37 degrees to 42 degrees. The range of temperature mentioned here includes the temperature of most mammals.