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2.2 Thermal properties and temperature

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Question 71

A liquid-in-glass thermometer uses the expansion of a liquid to measure temperature.

a.

Different design features are chosen to give the thermometer specific characteristics. Match each characteristic below with the correct design modification that achieves it:

Characteristics:

  1. High sensitivity
  2. Wide temperature range
  3. Quick speed of response

Design Modifications:

  • A. Using a liquid with a very low melting point and a very high boiling point.
  • B. Designing the bulb with a very thin glass wall.
  • C. Using a large bulb combined with a capillary tube of very narrow bore.
  • D. Using a thick-walled capillary tube to magnify the liquid thread.
[3]
b.

Describe the design of a clinical thermometer, highlighting how its structure differs from a standard laboratory thermometer. Specifically identify the structural feature that allows it to retain its maximum reading.

[2]
c.

Explain why a clinical thermometer is designed with:

  1. a constriction in the capillary tube just above the bulb,
  2. a bulb with a very thin glass wall.
[2]
Markscheme

2.2 Thermal properties and temperature Questions

  1. IGCSE
  2. /Physics
  3. /2.2 Thermal properties and temperature

528 exam-style questions on CIE IGCSE Physics 2.2 Thermal properties and temperature, covering 2.2.1 Thermal expansion of solids, liquids and gases, 2.2.2a Internal energy and temperature, 2.2.2b Specific heat capacity, 2.2.3a Melting, boiling, condensation and solidification, 2.2.3b Evaporation, and 2.2.3c Cooling by evaporation. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.

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