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Choosing a Galileo thermometerView Galileo thermometersMany people are choosing to buy Galileo thermometers either to use or to display in their own homes -- or simply as a gift for friends or family. These thermometers (which are also sometimes called thermoscopes which was their original name) make unusual gifts yet they also have a practical use, providing accurate and simple-to-read temperature information. These thermometers are named after Galileo, the Tuscan physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who discovered the relationship between liquid and temperature when he worked on designing the original thermoscope. How a Galileo thermometer works The thermometer works on the principle that liquid density will change when the temperature changes. A Galileo thermometer is based in a cylinder or tube which would traditionally have been made from glass, although modern Galileo thermometers can now be made from a variety of materials. The tube or cylinder is full of liquid such as water in which there float various weighted bulbs, each containing a coloured liquid. The thermometer responds to changes in atmospheric temperature which cause the liquid in the thermometer to change density. As this happens the bulbs will move around inside the thermometer rising up and down according to the temperature changes. The movements of the bulbs can then be used as a temperature scale, with each of the coloured bulbs having a temperature weight hanging below it which can be read. As the bulbs move up and down with temperature changes, there will be one or more bulbs left either alone or in a group towards the top of the cylinder. The temperature can be read from the weights on this group of bulbs. Considerations when choosing a Galileo thermometer Galileo thermometers come in various sizes and designs, although all primarily adhere to the original cylindrical design. You can, for example, buy a Galileo thermometer in different sizes with different numbers of coloured bulbs inside. Some come with four bulbs, some five ranging through to as many as eleven bulbs. In general terms the more bulbs in the thermometer the taller it will be as the bulbs needs space to function correctly. It also follows that the greater the number of bulbs, the more finely the temperature can be recorded and displayed. Thermometer sizes are generally indicated in centimetres. Popular sizes include 18cm, 28cm, 34cm, 43cm and 62cm. This allows you to choose a thermometer size to suit the space you have available and the position in which you wish to display it. Many people buy a Galileo thermometer simply as a decorative piece, however others treat it as the practical and accurate measurement device it truly is. Each size and type of Galileo thermometer will be able to read a different range of temperatures which may be a key factor when it comes to making a choice here. For example, some Galileo thermometers will read temperatures between 20-26C, some between 18-26C, some between 16-28C and others between 17-27C. Once again, the larger Galileo thermometers will generally offer measurement over a wider temperature range. Many people prefer to buy Galileo thermometers that are made from blown glass. Overall quality is an important issue to consider: whether for personal use or as a gift, it is important to buy a well designed and constructed Galileo thermometer that will stand the test of time. Inferior quality thermometers may suffer degradation in the coloured liquid within the individual bulbs over time, or even corrosion of the metal weight indicators attached to the bulbs. This should not be an issue with good quality Galileo thermometers. View Galileo thermometers |
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