Why Do We Need Thermometers?

Introduction

Have you ever been really cold in your classroom while everyone else was hot? Do you sometimes feel really warm outside, even though you are told that you need to wear a coat because it’s cold? The temperature your body senses does not always match the temperature that would be recorded by a thermometer. It is possible that on the day you felt warm outside, even though it was cold, you had been running around and were already warm. When you do this activity, you will see if previous conditions affect the ability of your hands to measure temperature.

Objectives

In this activity, you will

• Determine if touch is adequate to determine temperature.
• Explain the need for a thermometer.

Sensors and Equipment

This experiment features the following Vernier sensors and equipment.

Option 1

Option 2

Additional Requirements

You may also need an interface and software for data collection. What do I need for data collection?