Answer to Question #151553 in Physics for M. saad NASEER

Question

A liquid-in-glass thermometer is replaced by a similar thermometer with a larger bulb. No other change is made.

State and explain the effect on the sensitivity.

Answer 1

The larger thermometer will be less sensitive because it has thicker walls and more mercury, which will result in greater thermal inertia (more mass needs to be heated in order to acquire the temperature of the medium to be measured).