Infrared Thermometers, Features, and more
Growing up, my dad always had infrared thermometers in our home and it was always so interesting to watch him use them. Whether it was for repairing the car, checking the temperature of the food he was cooking, or something electronic, his infrared thermometers always came in handy. Since then technology has changes dramatically and there are so many different options out there for infrared thermometers. Infrared thermometers are a great way to ensure your safety when handling anything that is hot or potentially burning.
Infrared thermometers can also make a great gift for anyone who loves looking at temperature for a hobby. They are fairly easy to use and do not require a lot of maintenance.
This website was created for anyone in need of information on infrared thermometers. Purchasing electronic products such as infrared thermometers can be tricky because you want to make sure it will have all the features you need. At infraredthermometers.org we hope that all of your questions are answered and that we help lead you to the best infrared thermometer for you.
Please help us keep this website updated! This is a new website and if anyone would like to contribute information to help keep it updated, please e-mail admin@infraredthermometers.org. We strive to have the most up to date and current information on infrared thermometers, thus comments, questions and new information are always welcome!
Did You Know???
1) Modern mercury barometers have an enclosed reservoir for the mercury with only a tiny hole to let in the outside air. Usually a scale on the barometer tube allows the mercury column to be measured directly. Since the level of mercury at the bottom rises or falls as mercury flows out of or into the tube, some allowance must be made for the change in this level. In the Fortin barometer, the reservoir can be raised or lowered by an adjusting screw. This allows the surface of the mercury to be put at the zero mark on the scale for easier reading. In the Kew, or marine, barometer, the reservoir cannot be moved, but the scale is graduated to allow for mercury-level changes. Any liquid could be used in a barometer. However, because all other liquids are lighter than mercury, they would require much longer columns. Water, for example, would need a column more than 30 feet (9 meters) tall. The column needed for mercury is about three feet (one meter) high.
2) In making a liquid thermometer, the mercury is ordinarily driven to the top of the tube by heating. The glass is then sealed off, resulting in a vacuum when the mercury contracts during cooling. For high-temperature applications the tube is filled with a pressurized gas before sealing to prevent the mercury from boiling. Colored alcohol or other fluids are used for recording temperatures below the freezing point of mercury, which is -37.97°F (-38.87°C).
3) The earliest barometer was the mercury barometer. It is made of a glass tube, open at one end. The tube is filled with mercury, the open end is covered, and the tube is then turned upside down with the covered end placed into a dish of mercury. The end is uncovered, and part of the mercury drains into the dish. Most of the mercury remains in the tube, however. It remains in the tube because of the atmospheric pressure on the surface of the mercury in the dish. That atmospheric pressure is equal to the downward pressure of the mercury in the tube. Since the mercury barometer was the first one invented, atmospheric pressure is often expressed in terms of the height of the mercury in the tube above the mercury in the dish. At sea level, this height averages about 30 inches (760 millimeters).
4) Galileo's contributions to mechanics include the law of falling bodies, the fact that the path of a projectile is a parabola, the demonstration of the laws of equilibrium, and the principle of flotation. He devised a simple thermometer and inspired a pupil, Evangelista Torricelli, to invent the barometer.
5) Mercury, silvery-white, slowly tarnishing, liquid metal (sometimes called quicksilver) that does not wet glass or cling to it and is therefore used in thermometers, barometers, manometers, and other scientific instruments. It is the only elemental metal that is liquid at room temperature; it freezes into a soft solid resembling tin or lead at -38°F (-39°C). Mercury was known to the ancient Chinese, Hindus, and Egyptians
6) The degree centigrade (°C) was officially renamed Celsius in 1948 to avoid confusion with the angular measure known as the centigrade (one hundredth of a grade). The Celsius scale is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who devised it in 1742 but in reverse (freezing point was 100°; boiling point 0°).
