Temperature

Temperature is how hot or cold something is. Temperature is measured by a thermometer or a thermostat. With temperature, there is Celsius, Kelvin and Fahrenheit.

Mercury thermometer

What is a Thermometer?

A thermometer is a scientific product that helps to tell how hot or cold something is. IT works by having liquid in it. Most of the liquid in a thermometer is mercury or alcohol. These come in a glass tube and are used to read temperature.

When the liquid in a glass thermometer goes up, it means that the temperature is hotter. This happens because when heat hits the liquid, it causes it to expand and go up the tube.

When the temperature is cooler, it will cause the liquid to go down because it contracts.

An infrared thermometer

Different Types of Temperature:

There are three main temperature scales that we used. They are Celsius, Kelvin and Fahrenheit. The Celsius scale is considered the most popular temperature scale for most of the world. With Celsius, the degrees are shown with a C. With the Celsius scale, water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees.

Kelvin is a temperature scale that was invented by a scientist’s named Kelvin. With the Kelvin scale, there are no symbols to show the degree. Instead, most people just use a K to show they are checking a temperature in Kelvin. With Kelvin, it uses zero as the absolute 0 of the scale. With the Kelvin scale, there are 100 increments between boiling and freezing.

Fahrenheit is used in the United States. This temperature has a boiling point at 212 degrees and a freezing point at 32 degrees. Fahrenheit scale is showing with a F.

Can You Convert Temperature Between Different Scales?

You can convert the temperature with different scales by using these formulas:

Celsius = (F-32) / 1.8

Fahrenheit= 1.8 X C+32 degrees.

In order to convert from Celsius to Kelvin, use this formula:

Kelvin = Celsius + 273.15

Celsius = Kelvin – 273.15

What is Absolute Zero?

Absolute zero is the coldest temperature that any substance can have. It is equal to 0 Kelvin.

How Does Temperature Affect Things?

Temperature affects the matter of things. When something freezes, it can become a solid. When something gets warmer, it can become a liquid or a gas. When this happens, the matter changes the object.

More Facts About Temperature:

  • The scale of Fahrenheit was named after the physicist Daniel Fahrenheit. He was born Dutch.
  • Celsius was named after the astronomer Anders Celsius. He at first called it “centigrade” instead of Celsius.
  • When something is at absolute zero, it has different properties.
  • An item can have many different properties of matter depending on temperature.
  • Some thermometers are used to check body temperature. These do not have mercury in them because mercury can be hazardous.
  • People use thermometers to cook so they know how hot the inside of their food gets.

What Did You Learn?

  • What are the three types of scales used to measure temperature?
    The three types of temperatures are Celsius, Kelvin and Fahrenheit.
  • What causes temperature to change?
    Temperature can change due to the atmosphere or due to something around it getting hotter or cooler such as a fire or a snowstorm.
  • How do people measure temperature?
    They use thermometers to measure temperature.
  • What happens to a substance when it gets hotter?
    When a substance gets hotter it expands.
  • What happens to a substance when it gets colder?
    When a substance gets colder it contracts.