Who Invented the Thermometer?

Did ever this question came to you mind, when and whom the thermometer was invented? Thermometer is regarded as the best first-aid device that is found in each and every house. It is basically used for measuring the temperature of the body. In this article we will discuss more about who discovered this thermometer as well as when it was discovered.

What do you mean by temperature?

The temperature is regarded as that aspect of the substance that is used for measuring the thermal energy or average heat of the element. This is found to be the average heat measurement hence does not based upon number of elements present within the object or product. How you can measure temperature? This is normally measured with the help of thermometer. The measurement unit of temperature measuring on the thermometer is known as Celsius (°C). Thus, it is considered to be an essential device of temperature measurement. Did you ever tried to know about the history lying after thermometer? When it was discovered? Let us know the answers to these questions below.

Historical Background of Thermometer

We all are aware about the different levels of temperatures. Alike Stone Age Men who were very aware of that snow is icy or frosty and fire is scorching or warm. But they failed in determining just one thing that how this temperature could be measured. And for this they normally depended over the skewed units such as blaze over the metal terms the object to be scorching hot. Measuring the hot and cold temperature continued to be a mystery since ages. Moreover there was not much info and details available in written for measuring the temperature in the past. Because of this people never believed that the prehistoric Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Assyrians and Romans did not had the distinctive type of measuring unit for temperature measurement. At the prehistoric the theory of thermometer remained a clueless mystery.

However, the people who were present during the 300 BC, were very well aware of the fundamental theory that lies after measuring temperature. They came to know that the contraction of air due to cold or air expansion due to heat could help in the temperature measurement. This theory was devised and verified within 300 BC through Philo of Byzantium. Though, in order to bring this particular theory in motion and to invent a thermometer, a mastermind was needed. So, let us know how this thermometer was invented and by whom?

Simple Thermo scope of Galileo Galilei

The most wondering question about who discovered the thermometer? Is duly answered by one particular name and that is Galileo. Simultaneously the question when the thermometer was discovered is answered with a time period referred to as 1596. However, in true scenario what discovered by Galileo was not the thermometer but the thermo scope. How these two devices are different from each other? Though, both of them are relevant to temperature, yet the thermo scope was not applicable for measuring the differences between the temperatures. While the thermometer is considered to be the one used for measuring the temperature. To know further about thermometer history you may go through the Galileo Galilei's biography.

It has been revealed that the thermo scope is not having any measuring scale to measure the difference between the temperatures, however it is capable of determining that there are differences in temperatures. Moreover there is not any facility for the temperature recording. This small way of discovery has lead to the major innovation of the thermometer later on. In 1626, Benedetto Castelli, the Pope's consultant as well as mathematics university lecturer of Rome had written few specifics about thermo scope of Galileo.

The Thermometer of Santorio Santorio

The question about who discovered the thermometer and at what time is perfectly answered in 1654 by Santorio. He belonged to Italy who tried to apply a measuring scale with the thermo scope. Therefore he is duly praised for discovering the thermometer. But the thermometer discovered by him was not so accurate in temperature measurement. It was mainly because people failed to interpret the facts about the impact of air pressure variations with reference to the prescribed time given by Santorio.

The Liquid-in-Glass Thermometer Discovered by Grand Duke of Tuscany

This particular thermometer is very well known by the people these days. It was discovered by Ferdinand II, known as the Grand Duke of Tuscany particularly in 1654. He made the use of alcohol fill within his particular thermometer. But it failed to give the accurate results because of lacking in uniform measuring scale.

Mercury Thermometer of Gabriel Fahrenheit

Who discovered the thermometer was appropriately answered by Gabriel Fahrenheit in 1714. He was referred to as the first human being who devised to use the mercury filling in the thermometer for measuring precise temperature.

Intriguing Temperature Scale of Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit and His Temperature Scale

Fahrenheit was able to make more accurate measurements of temperature, as he used fixed points, as the temperature scale for his thermometer. He divided freezing and boiling points of water into 180°. He chose 32 as the lower fixed point of the scale. This lower point would not fall below zero, even if one measured the lowest temperatures. Even, today, Fahrenheit's scale is widely accepted and used to measure temperature.

Reamur and His Temperature Scale

Rene Antoine Ferchauld de Reamur, a Frenchman, in 1731 proposed a new thermometer scale. His scale had freezing point of water that was 0° and boiling point of water was 80°. The Reamur scale was quickly scrapped and is not in use today.

Celsius and His Scale

The next person after Fahrenheit to come up with a correct scale to measure temperature was Andres Celsius in 1742. He came up with a temperature scale that divided the freezing and boiling points of water into 100 degrees. The 0 degree was chosen as the boiling point of water and 100 degrees as the freezing point by Celsius. Then about after a year, Jean Pierre Cristin, a Frenchman inverted the Celsius scale. He came up with his Centigrade scale that had freezing point as 0° and boiling point as 100°. The international agreement in 1948 accepted Cristin's scale adaptation and it is known today as Celsius. This became one of the most widely used temperature measurement scales in the world, even today.

Lord Kelvin and His Absolute Temperature Scale

Sir William Thomson, Baron Kelvin of Largs, who later became known as Lord Kelvin of Scotland proposed the existence of an absolute zero in 1848. In his proposal, the absolute temperature scale with zero degrees, was the lowest temperature possible theoretically where the molecular motion ceases. 1 Kelvin degree was defined as begin equal to 1 Celsius degree by Lord Kelvin. The current Standard Unit of Temperature measurement in Degree Kelvin.

This was all about who invented the thermometer. The history of the thermometer is a long story that has seen many ups and downs. Many concepts needed to be explained, many theories to be proven to the successful invention of a thermometer. So finally, the answer to the question, who invented the thermometer is basically Gabriel Fahrenheit and the answer to when was the thermometer invented is 1714. I hope you find this information on history of thermometer to be useful.

Related Posts :

Which is the Best: Regular Thermometer or Basal Thermometer?

Make Yourself Aware with Digital Multimeters and Infrared Thermometers

Make Yourself Ware with Endless Types of Thermometers