Question

Consider an alcohol and a mercury thermometer that read exactly 0°C at the ice point and 100°C at the steam point. The distance between the two points is divided into 100 equal parts in both thermometers. Do you think these thermometers will give exactly the same reading at a temperature of, say, 60°C? Explain.

a)Probably, assuming the volumes of both fluids vary linearly with temperature.
b)Probably not, assuming the volumes of both fluids vary linearly with temperature
c)Definitely since the thermal expansion coefficients of the fluids are different.
d)Definitely not since the thermal expansion coefficients of the fluids are different.

Answer 1

Alcohol and mercury thermometers may not give the same reading at 60°C due to the different thermal expansion coefficients of the fluids despite both being calibrated at 0°C and 100°C. The correct answer is D.

Step-by-step explanation:

When considering whether alcohol and mercury thermometers will give the same reading at 60°C, we must take into account the thermal expansion coefficients of the fluids. While both thermometers are calibrated to show 0°C at the freezing point and 100°C at the boiling point of water, the rate at which alcohol and mercury expand with temperature is different.

Alcohol typically expands more than mercury. This difference means that, even though the volumes of both fluids are assumed to vary linearly with temperature, the actual readings at intermediate temperatures like 60°C could differ because of the unique expansion properties of each liquid. Therefore, we predict that these thermometers would not give exactly the same reading at 60°C. In addition, the thermal expansion coefficients of the two fluids are different. The thermal expansion coefficient is a measure of how much a substance expands or contracts with temperature. Since the thermal expansion coefficients of alcohol and mercury are different, their expansion rates will also differ, causing discrepancies in the readings.