Question

How does the Six's Maximum and Minimum Thermometer help in measuring temperature accurately?

Answer 1

Hint: The Six's thermometer uses a U-shaped bent tube which uses two different fluids to measure temperature, that is mercury and alcohol. Mercury is used to record the temperature and the alcohol is to push it based on temperature.

Complete answer:
The Six's maximum and minimum thermometer was designed by James Six, and uses two thermometric fluids of mercury and alcohol to measure the readings in the thermometer. When the bulb is reset to default reading, the alcohol records the reading and as a result, it pushes back the mercury to a level of the highest temperature recorded in the day. However, it is the alcohol that is involved in the measurement of the temperature but the mercury is the fluid used only for recording purposes. The alcohol contracts and pushes the mercury to the minimum temperature recorded in the day, which keeps the mercury in its position. This way, the two readings in the two bulbs of the thermometer give the readings of the maximum and minimum temperature during the day. This bulb of the thermometer is then reset to default after the readings are noted and the thermometer is ready to be used again.

Note: Since there are two fluids used in the Six's thermometer, it is important for the students to understand that the two bulbs work collectively as a team — one measures the temperature and the other records it. The temperature is reset after the usage and then it is used again.