Calibrating a Thermometer

Back to Experiments
 

If you have a thermometer which has not yet been calibrated, place it in a beaker of ice water making sure that the immersion line on the thermometer is covered by the ice water. Leave it there for a few minutes, then stir the ice water briefly and carefully with the thermometer (to insure that the all areas of the ice bath have the same temperature) and read the temperature on the thermometer. If it does not read exactly “ZERO” degrees at this time, you will have to adjust all other temperature readings during this experiment to compensate for the difference. (left)