Any liquid that expands in the heat and contracts in the cold would work, and you could use any of them inside a thermometer.
The problem is finding a liquid that has a good workable range between its freezing and boiling points.
Water, for example, has a freezing point of 32 °F (0 °C) and a boiling point of 212 °F (100 °C), making it unsuitable for measuring temperatures that are hotter or colder than that.
Mercury is more suitable for temperature extremes because its freezing point is -38 °F, and its boiling point is 675 °F. Its silvery color is also an advantage in that it’s highly visible.
Incidentally, the man who first used mercury in thermometers was G. D. Fahrenheit (1686-1736), the man who also invented the Fahrenheit scale. Before that, alcohol was the liquid of choice.
Nowadays, because of mercury’s dangers, many thermometer manufacturers have gone back to alcohol, which freezes at -175 °F (-115 °C).
Alcohol is not as good at higher temperatures, since it boils at 173 °F (78 °C), but for most household purposes that’s hot enough.
Related Posts
-
When Was the Planet Mercury First Discovered, How Did It Get Its Name, and What Does Mercury Mean In Latin?
The earliest known recorded observations of Mercury are from the Mul.Apin tablets around the 14th century BC. The ancient Greeks called the planet Στίλβων (Stilbon), which means "the gleaming". The Romans named the…
-
Why Are There So Many Impact Craters On the Planet Mercury and How Many Surface Craters Does Mercury Have?
The planet Mercury seems to have been hit by a lot of asteroids. Just under 50 percent of Mercury's surface has been photographed by spacecraft. The photos show an average of one hundred…
-
Why Is a Day Longer Than a Year On the Planet Mercury and How Long Is a Day On Mercury?
A Mercurial year, or the time it takes for Mercury to revolve around the Sun once, is the equivalent of about 88 Earth days (2,112 hours). A Mercurial solar day, the time it…
-
Why Is Mercury Classified As Dangerous Goods By the Airlines and How Is Mercury Corrosive To Aluminum?
Planes are largely made from aluminum and, surprisingly, a very small amount of mercury can destroy a large amount of aluminum. Despite its apparently inert behavior, aluminum is actually a rather reactive metal…
-
Why Are Instant Read Thermometers So Slow To Tell Me the Food’s Temperature?
There are two types of so-called instant-read thermometers: the dial-type and the digital readout type. But do they really give you the temperature reading in an instant? Don’t you wish! These reputed speed…
-
What Does Mercury’s Orbit Look Like From Earth and How Often Does the Planet Mercury Orbit the Sun?
Mercury orbits the Sun once every 88 days at a speed of 29.8 miles (48 km) per second. Its aphelion (farthest point from the Sun) is at a distance of 43 million miles…
