Question

State similarities and differences between the laboratory thermometer and the clinical thermometer.

Answer 1

Hint: the thermometers can be classified based on their use, their measuring fluid and on the type of material by which it is manufactured.
Thermometers can also be classified based on the temperature range and the temperature scale.

Complete answer:
Similarities:
• The bulbs of both the thermometers contain mercury, the level of mercury shows the temperature reading.
• The dimensions and the making of both laboratory thermometer and clinical thermometer are nearly the same i.e., both have long Glass tubes which are narrow and uniform narrow and uniform.
• Celsius scale is present in both the thermometer. i.e., both can show the temperature on the Celsius scale

Differences:

Clinical Thermometer	Laboratory Thermometer
Clinical thermometer is used to measure the human body temperature.	A laboratory thermometer is not used for this purpose of measuring body temperature; it is generally used for the measurement of objects which generally have a temperature range outside that of a normal human body.
The temperature range of clinical thermometers is \[35^\circ C\] to \[42^\circ C\].	The temperature measurement range of laboratory thermometers is \[ - 10^\circ C\] to \[\;110^\circ C\].
The clinical thermometer has a kink that prevents immediate backflow of mercury.	The kink is not present in the laboratory thermometer.

Note: The term thermometer consists of the word thermo means temperature and metros mean measurement thus making thermometer a temperature measuring device.
The different thermometers have different thermometric properties which help in the measurement of temperature like an electrical thermometer uses induced emf for temperature measurement and a clinical thermometer has the level of mercury rise as thermometric property.