Difference Between Thermometer and Thermostat
Measuring temperature isn’t a great deal and you can use a number of electronic devices for doing this job. The most common instrument used for determining temperature is the traditional liquid-in-glass thermometer. This conventional device uses a number of different principles to measure the intensity of heat in the surroundings and give a relatively precise reading. However, some people mistakenly think that a thermostat is also a device for measuring temperature, just like a thermometer. There are huge differences in the functioning of the two instruments and the purposes they serve. Although both of these instruments posses the ability to detect any change in the temperature, their practical uses are entirely different from one another.
A thermometer is purely designed to measure temperature or temperature gradient. Its two basic parts include the temperature sensor and a mean of converting that physical change into numeric value. Clinical and laboratory thermometers are made of a glass with a fine tube inside containing mercury or alcohol. The bulb at one end serves as the sensor and the liquid inside the fine tube expands uniformly with any change in temperature. Electrical thermometers are relatively complex and work on an entirely different principle.
On the other hand, a thermostat is a controlling device which regulates the surrounding temperature of a system so that a desired value of temperature is maintained to keep the system safe. It works by switching heating or cooling devices on or off and maintains a steady level of temperature within them.
Instructions
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Thermometer
A thermometer is merely a measuring device for temperature and has nothing to do with changing the intensity of heat. Metaphorically, a person is regarded as a thermometer if he/she only shows the reflection of the world around him/her and doesn’t make any attempt to change anything. Just like this temperature measuring device, such persons mindlessly reflect what other people around them believe and don’t use their own wisdom.
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Thermostat
This is an extremely useful controlling device which ensures the level of temperature do not exceed a fixed point within a close system and cause any possible damages. Thermostat imposes change on the system and keeps them stable against any changes in the temperature of the surroundings. Metaphorically, thermostats are the persons who give no heed to the world around them and tend on changing it according to their preferences.
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