When a liquid thermometer is held in direct sunlight,
A) it will accurately measure the air temperature.
B) it will measure a much higher temperature than that of the air.
C) it will measure a much lower temperature than that of the air.
D) it will measure the temperature of the sun rather than the air.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When a liquid thermometer is held in direct sunlight, it will measure a much higher temperature than that of the air because the thermometer is absorbing radiant heat from the sun as well as conducting heat from the surrounding air. Therefore, the reading on the thermometer will be higher than the actual air temperature.

When a Liquid Thermometer Is Held in Direct Sunlight