Discover
/
Article

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.
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?

This article is only available in PDF format

More about the authors

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

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

Related content
/
Article
Interviews now available to the public bring the famed physicist’s lesser-known early years to life.
/
Article
Graduate students in physics and astronomy struggle with mental health. Support from peers and advisers is critical; so is institutional change.
/
Article
Inside certain quantum systems, where randomness was thought to lurk, researchers—after a 40-year journey—have found order and unique wave patterns that stubbornly survive.
/
Article
A half century after the discovery of Hawking radiation, we are still dealing with the quantum puzzle it exposed.
This Content Appeared In
pt-cover_1971_09.jpeg

Volume 24, Number 9

Get PT newsletters in your inbox

pt_newsletter_card_blue.png
PT The Week in Physics

A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.

pt_newsletter_card_darkblue.png
PT New Issue Alert

Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.

pt_newsletter_card_pink.png
PT Webinars & White Papers

The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.

By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.