CALIBRATING A THERMOMETER

Abstract
A thermistor was used for the measurement of temperature in relation to its resistance given by
the equation R = R0 e B/T. It was hypothesized that a thermistors resistance varies with the
temperature. The constants R0 and B were measured by placing the thermistor in melting ice at
273.15 K and boiling water at 373.15 K. To investigate this phenomenon, the resistances of a
thermistor and its temperatures were measured in three different temperature baths. The
temperatures of the three different baths were then calculated using the equation. These results
were compared to the digitally measured temperatures by a thermometer. The results agreed to
within less than 1%, which is less than the predicted error of 2.0%.

Martin Gasparyan
Physics 20BL
Dr. Farisa Morales
Data Taken: 02/08/16

Theory:
It is found that the resistance of a thermistor varies according to the equation
Where R0 is the resistance constant and B is the temperature constant. R represents the resistance
measured in ohms in regards to T, measured in Kelvin.

Apparatus:

Thermistor
o A thermally sensitive resistor that is a solid semiconducting material. Unlike
metals, thermistors respond inversely to temperature. The resistance decreases as

the temperature increases.

Digital Multi-Meter
o Used to measure electrical quantities such as voltage, current, resistance,
frequency, temperature, capacitance, and time period measurements. Basic
functionality includes measurement of potential in volts, resistance in ohms, and

current in amps.
Alligator Clips
o Used to connect the thermistor to the Digital Multi-Meter
Steam Generator
o Used to boil the water for submerging the thermistor into.
Slushy Ice
o Used to submerge the thermistor into.
Digital Thermometer
o To measure the temperature of the three different water baths.
3 Tubs of Water Baths at cold, room, and warm temperatures
o For submerging the resistor into 3 different baths

Procedure:

The experiment was first begun by attaching the ends of the alligator clips to the
thermistor and inserting the clip wires into the Digital Multi-Meter (DMM). Then the DMM was
set to display the resistance in ohms () in order to record the resistance of the thermistor at
different temperatures. Next, a beaker of slushy ice was gathered and the connected thermistor
was submerged within. This resistance was recorded at 273.15K. After, the steam generator was
plugged in and the temperature was set to high. Then water was added using the beakers and we
waited until the water began to boil. After the water began to boil, the thermistor was submerged
in the bath and the resistance at 373.15K was recorded. After, three water baths were prepared at
different temperatures, with one at room temperature, one above room temperature, and one
below room temperature. The connected thermistor was placed in each water bath and each
resistance was recorded. Lastly, the temperature of each water bath was recorded using the
digital thermometer.

Data:

Ice (1)
Steam (2)
Cold Bath
Room Bath
Warm Bath
Calculations:

Resistance ()
83800.0
1048.0
43300.0
30130.0
19010.0

Temperature (K)
273.15
373.15
284.95 0.1
292.55 0.1
302.05 0.1

Temperature Calculation

Cold:

Percent Discrepancy:

Cold

Room:
% error = 0.11%

Room:

Warm:

% error = .40%

Warm:

% error = 0.54%

Error Propagation:

Results:
Water Bath
Cold
Room
Warm

T (K)
284.65 K 5.693 K
291.39 K 5.828 K
300.42 K 6.008 K

% Discrepancy
0.11%
0.40%
0.54%

Discussion:
Overall, the purpose of this experiment was to determine the temperatures of the three different
water baths using the calculated resistances and the constants Ro and B. By immersing the
connected thermistor, the DMM revealed the resistances used to calculate the constants. With
these constants, the temperatures of the baths were calculated and compared to the digitally
calculated temperatures. The experiment successfully determined the constants Ro ad B in the
equation and also determined the temperatures of the three different water baths using the
calculated resistances of the thermistor. Our initial hypothesis was correct because the resistance
varied with the temperature and as the temperature decreased, the resistance increased and viceversa. The results are within the margin of errors since the discrepancies all fall under 2.0%,
which was propagated from the error analysis.