The distance between the fixed points of a mercury-in-glass thermometer is 30 cm. Determine the temperature when the mercury level is 10.5 cm above the lowe...

Answer Details

A mercury-in-glass thermometer measures temperature based on the expansion of the mercury in the bulb as the temperature changes. The length of the mercury column in the glass tube rises or falls as the temperature increases or decreases. In this question, the distance between the fixed points of the thermometer is given as 30 cm. The lower fixed point is the temperature at which the mercury bulb is completely immersed in melting ice and the upper fixed point is the temperature at which the mercury bulb is completely immersed in steam at standard atmospheric pressure. If the mercury level is 10.5 cm above the lower fixed point, then the length of the mercury column above the lower fixed point is 10.5 cm. To find the temperature corresponding to this length, we can use the following formula: (T - T_lfp)/(T_ufp - T_lfp) = l/l_fp where T is the temperature, T_lfp is the temperature of the lower fixed point (0 °C), T_ufp is the temperature of the upper fixed point (100 °C), l is the length of the mercury column above the lower fixed point (10.5 cm), and l_fp is the distance between the fixed points (30 cm). Solving for T, we get: (T - 0)/(100 - 0) = 10.5/30 T = (10.5/30) x 100 T = 35 °C Therefore, the temperature when the mercury level is 10.5 cm above the lower fixed point is 35 °C. The correct answer is: 35.0 ºC