Final answer:
The correct environmental conditions for calibrating the upper fixed point on a thermometer is boiling water and for the lower fixed point, it is the freezing point of water or melting ice.
Step-by-step explanation:
Calibrating a Thermometer
To calibrate the upper fixed point and the lower fixed point on a thermometer, certain environmental conditions are necessary. For the lower fixed point, the correct condition is the freezing point of water, which is 0°C or 32°F. For the upper fixed point, the appropriate condition is the boiling point of water, which is 100°C or 212°F at a specified atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the accurate environmental conditions for thermometer calibration would be melting ice for the lower fixed point and boiling water for the upper fixed point.
The Celsius scale uses the freezing and boiling points of water as reference: the freezing point of water at 0°C and the boiling point of water at 100°C.With the given reference points, temperature scales such as Celsius and Fahrenheit have been established to standardize temperature measurement universally.
Reference Points in Celsius and Fahrenheit Scales
On the Celsius scale, the freezing point of water is set at 0°C and the boiling point at 100°C, with the range between them divided into 100 equal parts, each representing one degree Celsius. Similarly, on the Fahrenheit scale, the freezing point of water is 32°F and the boiling point is 212°F, with the range divided into 180 equal parts (degrees). A temperature difference of one degree on the Celsius scale is 1.8 times as large as a degree on the Fahrenheit scale.