Cambridge International AS & A Level · 14 · structured
Thermometer properties and calibration
Choose and calibrate a thermometric property · Original GioPhysics question with a detailed, mark-by-mark answer guide.
- Demand
- demanding
- Marks
- 9
- Topics
- 1
- Answer
- Complete
Name four thermometric properties covering a liquid, a gas, a metal and a thermocouple. State the gas and thermocouple controls. A resistance sensor gives 100.0 Ω at 0 °C, 139.0 Ω at 100 °C and 123.4 Ω in a bath. Find the bath temperature using a linear calibration and state why a calibration curve may instead be needed.
- (a)
State the four properties and the gas/thermocouple controls.
6 marks - (b)
Determine the bath temperature and discuss the linear assumption.
3 marks
Ready to self-mark?Reveal the detailed answer guide
(a)
State the four properties and the gas/thermocouple controls.
Identify what the question is testing, organise the response into distinct mark-earning points, and make every conclusion traceable to a physical principle or to the evidence supplied.
- 1
Density of liquid; volume of fixed gas amount at constant pressure; metal resistance; thermocouple e.m.f. with known reference-junction temperature.
(b)
Determine the bath temperature and discuss the linear assumption.
Identify what the question is testing, organise the response into distinct mark-earning points, and make every conclusion traceable to a physical principle or to the evidence supplied.
- 1
60.0 °C; a multi-point curve is needed if the response is nonlinear.
Complete marking guidance
Use these worked steps alongside the part-by-part answers. They explain the method and mark allocation; they do not add extra marks.
- Identify the four properties, not merely device names.
- Specify fixed gas amount and pressure, and a known reference-junction temperature.
- θ = 100(123.4 − 100.0)/(139.0 − 100.0) = 60.0 °C.
- The property-temperature relation can be nonlinear, so calibrate at several known temperatures rather than treating a two-point interpolation as exact.
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