The first thermometers were called thermoscopes. They had no …show more content…
Analog and digital thermometers do the same job. However they are very different. Different aspects make one thermometer good in some areas and another good in other areas. The thermometers are going to be compared and contrast on what it means to be digital or analog, the accuracy, recalibration of the tool, and their environmental impacts.
Analog and digital technologies are extremely different although they accomplish the same task. In analog thermometers the temperature is represented using the rising or falling of the liquid within the tube. In the process numbers are not processed like in digital technologies. In digital thermometers data is stored using ones and zeros. This data is then read into pictures, numbers, and letters. This makes digital easier to …show more content…
An analog thermometer is much harder to read forcing you to squint your eyes at the tube and make an estimate. These thermometers are only capable of measuring within one degree Celsius. Digital thermometers are more accurate, allowing temperature to be measured within .001 degrees Celsius. They also have an easy to read display eliminating the guess work.
Calibration is an important aspect of the thermometer. It must be accurate. An analog thermometer only needs one calibration in it 's lifetime and isn 't able to be recalibrated easily. It can be tested for accuracy in hot or cold water. The digital thermometer however can be recalibrated many times and requires multiple recalibrations within it 's lifetime. Like the analog mercury thermometer digital thermometers can be tested in hot or cold water.
Thermometers are not entirely the best for the environment or humans. Mercury, the liquid used in analog thermometers, is extremely toxic and is capable of killing. If the glass tube thermometer breaks, it could result in cuts and makes for an extremally difficult mess to clean up due to the mercury. Digital thermometers, however, contain no mercury and are not toxic. With the rise digital thermometers casualties related to thermometers have dramatically