We all know that a thermometer measures temperature, but what do you think you are actually measuring?

Question

We all know that a thermometer measures temperature, but what do you think you are actually measuring with a thermometer. I just did a Science lab and it shows where going from Hot to Room Temperature makes you feel cold, and going from Cold to Room Temperature makes you feel hot. Which led into the question I asked above.

I also have one more question -

Do you think our bodies make good thermometers? Why or why not?

Thanks for any and all help!

Answer 1

Heat makes things expand, so what you are actually measuring is the expansion of a liquid in a glass tube given how hot the environment is.

No, human bodies don't make good thermometers.  There are too many things that effect it like hormones and circulation.  Also, the body has a mechanism that keeps the temperature within a certain range.

Answer 2

thermometers (liquid or dial type) are based on a KNOWN expansion of a liquid or metal spring at certain temperatures.

At 90 deg F, the spring will expand a certain amount and the liquid will fill a certain volume.

On the other hand, the human body does not make a good judge of temperature as we feel relative heat or cold.  If you had ever had a temperature where your body was warmer, you feel chilled because you are much warmer than normal.  Likewise, if your skin is chilled, you do not feel the cold as much but you will feel very warm if in a room that was heated to a normal temperature.

feeling Heat or cold is all relative and is also based on being weathered to a certain area.........someone from close the the equator would find it VERY difficult to live in the northern most parallels because it would feel way too cold....likewise, those from the northern parallels would find the equatorial regions VERY hot and unlivable.......being from the mid-atlantic states, I traveled to Palm Springs, California which is basically the desert.....I found it to feel too hot at times