Materials increase in volume with increased temperature. A fluid expansion in a housing which has one degree of freedom, as in a domestic thermometer, can indicate temperature on a scale attached to the degree of freedom of the expansion, usually a capillary tube. The fluid is usually mercury or an organic liquid such as alcohol. No power sources are required. This device is very repeatable. The use of these sensors tends to be limited to applications where manual reading is acceptable, e.g. a household thermometer.
Galileo Galilei was born in the year 1564 in Pisa, Italy, the son of a well known musician. This brilliant scientist and astronomer is most famous for his early development of the telescope for use in astronomy, being the first to see the moons of Jupiter and other celestial objects. Galileo was indeed an incredible man. After studying in Pisa, he held the chair in mathematics in Pisa and later in Padua University. During this time he studied mechanics, designed and made magnetic compasses for use by the military and gained a patent for the design of a machine to raise water levels. In addition to his work on temperature measurement, resulting in the basic fundamentals seen in today's "Galileo thermometers", he invented the microscope and, in a completely different area, was the first to realise how the swinging of a pendulum could be used to measure time. Through his work in astronomy, Galileo supported the theory originated by Copernicus, that the earth moved around the Sun and this was to have a major impact on his remaining life. The Copernicus theory was in direct conflict with the opinions of the Church, which held that the Earth was the centre of the Universe. Eventually, and under immense pressure from the Church, he publicly retracted his support for the Copernicus theory, although privately he continued to support it. Even so, Galileo spent the last 10 years of his life sentenced to almost complete seclusion, having dared to offend the Church. During much of this time, Galileo was supported by his daughter but she died in 1634. In the last years of his life, Galileo was completely blind and eventually died in his villa in Arcetri on January 8th 1642.
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Galileo
never could have imagined that the remarkable thermometer
he invented four centuries ago would become one of
the most attractive, intriguing, and eye-catching
sensors today. The Galileo Thermometer is a unique-looking
cylinder filled with colorful spheres which float
in a special, FCKW-free liquid and measure the correct
temperature based on a fascinating scientific principle.
What Galileo discovered is that spheres of different
weights would rise or fall according to the temperature.
Because the liquid in the cylinders contracts slightly
at lower temperatures and expands slightly at higher
temperatures, the spheres rise and fall accordingly.
In a Galileo Thermometer, the lowest floating sphere
in the upper part of the cylinder tells the correct
temperature. To look at a Galileo Thermometer is
to behold not only an instrument which tells the
precise temperature, but also to behold a work of
beauty and art. These thermometers are made of hand-blown
glass in Germany and attract consumers who want something
that appeals to them visually, practically, and intellectually. |
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