Question

State similarities and differences between laboratory thermometer and clinical thermometer.

Answer 1

Thermometer (thermos: hot; metron: measure) is the universal instrument used to measure temperature of a body or an object or an environment. A clinical thermometer is used to measure the temperature of a living body, particularly a human body. Laboratory thermometer is used to measure the temperature of things other than the human body.

Complete Step by Step Solution
The similarities between Clinical Thermometer and a laboratory thermometer have been stated below:
-Both are made of glass and consist of long narrow glass tubes.
-Both of them have a bulb at an end.
-Bulbs of both the thermometers consist of mercury. Both the meters give readings with the mercury that is inside the thermometer.
-Both the thermometers measure temperature in Celsius scale.
The differences between Clinical Thermometer and a laboratory thermometer have been stated below:
-The temperature range of a clinical thermometer is ${35^ \circ }C$ to ${42^ \circ }C$, while -The temperature range of a laboratory thermometer is $- {10^ \circ }C$ to ${110^ \circ }C$.
-The least count of both the thermometers is different.
-A clinical thermometer is used to measure the temperature of a living body, particularly a human body. Laboratory thermometer is used to measure the temperature of things other than the human body.
-A clinical thermometer has kink which prevents immediate backflow of mercury. A laboratory thermometer does not have a kink. The clinical thermometer can be tilted while reading the temperature values whereas laboratory thermometers need to be kept upright.

Note
The first medical thermometer was invented by Sir Thomas Albut in 1867. It was six inches long and took about five minutes to take a person's temperature.
-One should never use a clinical thermometer in the laboratory vice versa.
-Mercury is the only substance other than glass that is used in thermometers.
-Both of them exhibit Celsius scales.