I have two room thermometers inside digital clock devices. They consistently differ by 1.3 degrees Celsius when placed adjacently. Why is this? It's a substantial difference. Should I obtain a mercury thermometer for a more accurate measure?
Interesting! Neither device has a means to calibrate it. So I'm not sure what the true temperature is.If the difference stays the same it is likely they were not set correctly at the factory. They technically can be set to display any number for any temperature. All depends on if there is any method to adjust this.
The thermometers I use in the kitchen want you to calibrate them using ice water to set zero.
Mercury is not going to be any more accurate...assuming you can even get thermometers with mercury. It all depends on how accurately they marked the tubes at the factory.
Even on amazon they sell thermometers that are designed to be extremely accurate. All depends on how accurate you want it to be.
Why does that matter?Interesting! Neither device has a means to calibrate it. So I'm not sure what the true temperature is.
That's not really a practical method to know the temperature of the rooms in my home. Should each room have, say, five thermometers?Why does that matter?
Every measurement will have some amount of error.
You can get several more digital thermometers and then average their readings.
Again. Why does that matter?That's not really a practical method to know the temperature of the rooms in my home. Should each room have, say, five thermometers?
How do I know which is the precise one?just buy a very precise thermometer and compare all your current ones. You can put a small sticker showing the offset and you can just calculate the difference every time you look at the thermometer.
That's what I thought. No-one here has yet suggested any other solution.The most accurate room thermometers in my experience are the traditional "linear" type which have a glass tube with liquid inside, mounted on a piece of wood or plastic.
How do I know that the true temperature is between? It might lie above or below.Again. Why does that matter?
Why do you need temperature readings to be precise?
So you have one reading 22C and the other 23C.
Then probably real reading is somewhere in between.
There are high precision thermometers.How do I know which is the precise one?
Which is interesting but no solution. My two digital devices are 1.3C apart. I'd like a room thermometer that's accurate to 0.5C. Is that too precise to ask for? I suspect a mercury device will provide that.There are high precision thermometers.
You probably wouldn't want to spend $3000 for one.
That's why I asked - why does it matter for you?
If you have some technological process, that requires ultra precise temperature measurements,
then invest in a high precision thermometer.
But if it's just for temperature readings in your room, then who cares.
https://www.instrumart.com/categories/791/precision-thermometers
Every reading will have some level of error. You can't really avoid that.I'd like a room thermometer that's accurate to 0.5C. Is that too precise to ask for?
Take one or both of yours to a local college.Which is interesting but no solution. My two digital devices are 1.3C apart. I'd like a room thermometer that's accurate to 0.5C. Is that too precise to ask for? I suspect a mercury device will provide that.