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How accurately can temperature be measured?

SEP 01, 1971
The accuracy attainable outside the standards lab is at best only moderate, even with the most careful work and frequent recalibrations.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3022928

William T. Gray
Donald I. Finch

Suppose you have been asked to measure the temperature of an object known to be at around 1000°C. Being a knowledgeable physicist, you know that the most accurate procedure is to obtain the best thermocouple you can and use it carefully, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. The calibration table that comes with the instrument charts emf values to the nearest microvolt, corresponding to about 0.1°C, and with practice you find you can get reproducible readings within this interval. Does this mean that you are measuring temperature to ±0.1°C accuracy?

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More about the Authors

William T. Gray. Leeds and Northrup Co., North Wales, Penna..

Donald I. Finch. Leeds and Northrup Co., North Wales, Penna..

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This Content Appeared In
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Volume 24, Number 9

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