A thermocouple thermometer is connected to a millivoltmeter which can read up to 10mV. When one junction is in ice at 0°C and the other is steam at 100°C, t...

A thermocouple thermometer is connected to a millivoltmeter which can read up to 10mV. When one junction is in ice at 0°C and the other is steam at 100°C, the millivoltmeter reads 4mV. What is the maximum temperature which this arrangement can measure

Answer Details

The maximum temperature which this arrangement can measure is 250°C. A thermocouple thermometer works by using the thermoelectric effect, which is the phenomenon that occurs when two dissimilar metals are joined together to form a loop and a temperature difference is established between the two junctions. This temperature difference generates a small electrical voltage, which can be measured using a millivoltmeter. The voltage generated is proportional to the temperature difference between the two junctions. In the case of the thermocouple thermometer described, one junction is in ice at 0°C and the other is steam at 100°C, and the millivoltmeter reads 4mV. This means that the voltage generated by the thermocouple is 4 millivolts, which corresponds to a temperature difference of 100°C. However, the millivoltmeter can only read up to 10mV, so the maximum temperature difference it can measure is 10mV / 4mV/°C = 250°C. This means that the maximum temperature which this arrangement can measure is 250°C.