Temperature measurement

Temperature measurement determines how hot or cold a body or environment is using a calibrated instrument or other method.

Thermometer: An instrument that indicates temperature through a calibrated response to thermal conditions. Thermometers turn measurable physical changes into temperature readings.
Thermodynamic temperature: A fundamental physical quantity that describes thermal state and is defined independently of particular substances. It provides the quantity that practical instruments aim to estimate.
Clinical thermometer: A thermometer designed to measure human body temperature for clinical assessment. It adapts temperature measurement to monitoring fever and body heat.
Contact thermometer: A temperature sensor that estimates an object’s temperature through physical contact and heat exchange. It contrasts with remote radiation-based measurements.
Primary thermometry: Temperature measurement derived directly from fundamental physical laws without calibration against another thermometer. It offers a route to temperature values independent of conventional reference instruments.
Thermocouple: A temperature sensor made from two dissimilar electrical conductors joined at a point. Its voltage varies with the temperature difference between its junctions.
Kelvin: The SI unit of thermodynamic temperature, defined by fixing the Boltzmann constant. It anchors temperature readings to the international measurement system.
Weather station: A site or system that measures atmospheric conditions, including air temperature. Its shaded sensors track environmental temperature over time.
Non-contact temperature measurement: Temperature estimation without physical contact, commonly using emitted infrared radiation. It avoids disturbing or touching the measured surface.
Quantum thermometry: Temperature measurement using quantum systems whose measurable states respond to thermal conditions. It explores sensors for microscopic systems where ordinary thermometers are intrusive.

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