You are hired as an engineer at a thermometer factory. Suppose you built a water thermometer by replacing the mercury in a mercury thermometer with water. You want to measure temperatures above freezing with it. How would it behave as the temperature drops from 5^o C to 1^o C? A) The reading will decrease and then begin increasing. B) The reading will steadily decrease. C) The reading will steadily increase D) The reading will increase and then begin decreasing.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

As the temperature drops from 5°C to 1°C, the water in the thermometer would initially contract (like most substances) and the reading would decrease. However, water has a unique property where it expands upon cooling below 4°C due to the formation of a structured hexagonal lattice. This anomalous expansion would cause the reading to begin increasing as the temperature approaches 0°C.

You Are Hired as an Engineer at a Thermometer Factory