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Place the stem of the thermometer in the boiling water. Again, make sure that it’s submerged at least 2 inches and wait at least 30 seconds. Your thermometer should read 212°F or 100°C. If it doesn’t, keeping the thermometer in the water, turn the adjusting knob until the needle reaches the 212°F mark.
Does a mercury thermometer need calibration?
Although accurate and repeatable, mercury thermometers are fragile. Mercury thermometers cannot be adjusted after calibration. The actual temperature must be calculated by applying corrections to the measured temperature.
How do you reset a mercury thermometer?
Firmly grasp the thermometer near the top, so that the bulb containing the mercury (or other indicating fluid) is pointed downward. Rapidly move the thermometer down and sharply reverse direction (and snap the wrist upward). When the thermometer reaches the lowest point of the stroke several times.
Can mercury thermometers be inaccurate?
Mercury thermometer are extremely repeatable and accurate over many years. You could put a working mercury thermometer in a time capsule and bury it for 10,000 years and it would still be working accurately. As long as the glass has not been cracked it will continue to function accurately.
Is a mercury thermometer always accurate?
Both laboratory and clinical studies show that there is no significant difference in the average accuracy of the two types of thermometers, however there is a greater fluctuation of readings of temperature when using electronic thermometers.
How long do I keep a mercury thermometer under the tongue?
Insert the thermometer’s probe under your tongue and close your lips over it tightly to hold it in place. Leave it in your mouth for three minutes or until it beeps.
How do I know if my mercury thermometer is working?
Is There Mercury in My Thermometer? If there is no liquid in your thermometer, for example, if it uses a metallic strip or coil to measure temperature (like most meat thermometers do), it is not a mercury thermometer. If the liquid in the thermometer bulb is any color other than silver, it is not a mercury thermometer.
How do you shake down a mercury free thermometer?
This thermometer is far more accurate than digitals, and it does not easily break. Don’t use the sock trick, you just need to hold this at the end of the tube and flick your wrist with a downward motion for about ten seconds. It will shake down just fine.
Which thermometer is accurate mercury or digital?
The digital thermometer is not only faster on body temperature measurement results providing, but also better accuracy results to us. Based on the tested records of the experiments, the accuracy of a digital thermometer could be 0.1℃. The accuracy is better than the normal mercury thermometer.
Why are mercury thermometers no longer used?
The reason: Mercury released into the environment from a broken thermometer is highly poisonous. So government and state agencies have mounted campaigns to end the use of thermometers that contain the liquid metal. Federal and state authorities have lobbied since 2002 for bans on medical mercury thermometers.
Can thermometers give false readings?
No thermometer will provide accurate results if it’s used incorrectly. Never use a thermometer on a person that is meant for another purpose, such as a laboratory or meat thermometer. These won’t provide accurate readings.
What is the maximum temperature that can be measured by mercury thermometer?
Physical properties. Mercury thermometers cover a wide temperature range from −37 to 356 °C (−35 to 673 °F); the instrument’s upper temperature range may be extended through the introduction of an inert gas such as nitrogen.
Are mercury thermometers still sold?
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced last week that it would stop calibrating mercury thermometers starting March 1 a move that brings the U.S. one step closer to phasing out these temperature-measuring devices for good. Feb 10, 2011.
Do you add a degree when taking temp under tongue?
Should I add a degree to oral (under the tongue) and axillary (under the arm) readings? Yes, for the most accuracy. Rectal temperatures are considered most accurate indication of the body’s temperature. Oral and axillary temperature readings are about ½° to 1°F (.
Is 37.5 a fever?
In general, a baby has a fever when their body temperature exceeds 100.4°F (38°C). A child has a fever when their temperature exceeds 99.5°F (37.5°C). An adult has a fever when their temperature exceeds 99–99.5°F (37.2–37.5°C).
Is a 99.3 considered a fever?
The medical community generally defines a fever as a body temperature above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. A body temp between 100.4 and 102.2 degree is usually considered a low-grade fever.
How long do you keep a mercury thermometer in?
ORAL TEMPERATURE After shaking the mercury down, place the thermometer under the child’s tongue, with the bulb toward the back of the mouth. Tell your child to keep the lips firmly closed, but not to bite the thermometer. 3. Leave the thermometer in place for 3 minutes.
Do you have to shake mercury thermometer?
There is a small bend in the mercury channel of a clinical thermometer that uses mercury. You must shake the thermometer to get the mercury from a previous reading from the thermometer back into the bulb (or at least to a low temperature number) so that a new reading can be taken.
