Question

Why is the thermometer kept under the tongue?

Answer 1

Checking the body's temperature is done through the thermometer. Fever is defined as the rise in the body's temperature which is generally caused due to some kind of infection. Reading of the body temperature can only be done from some specific positions of the body.

Complete answer:
An accurate reading of the temperature of the person's body is a vital tool in managing illness. The thermometer is a device that is used to measure temperature or we can say a device that is used to measure the degree of hotness or coldness of an object. It is widely used in technology and industry for the process of monitoring, meteorology, medicine and in fields related to scientific research.

The normal body temperature of an adult is around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celsius. If the person is having a fever the temperature of the body ranges to 100.4 F or 38.8 C or above. The thermometer can be used in three different ways, the oral method in which it is placed under the tongue, the rectal method in which the thermometer is inserted gently into the rectum and the axillary method in which the thermometer is placed in the armpit for young children or adults whose temperature cannot safely be done orally.

Checking of the body's temperature is mainly in young children done orally by inserting the thermometer under the tongue. Blood flow is maximum here and the internal body heat is present under the tongue because of which it is placed under the tongue to read the inner body heat. This way we can measure the temperature of the whole body.

Note: Thermometer consist of two important elements:
a) Temperature sensor is a part of the thermometer in which a change occurs with a change in temperature.
b) Some means of converting the value into a numerical value which is read using the visible scale on the thermometer.