How to Read a Thermometer

A thermometer is an instrument that is used to

measure temperature.

The temperature of something tells us how hot or cold something is.

Temperature is measured in

degrees.

is the symbol for degrees.

100 “100 Degrees”

Temperature is measured on two scales: Celsius and Fahrenheit.

98.637 C F

“C” is the symbol for the Celsius scale.

C

Let’s count by 2’s…

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12…

The lines on most thermometers count by two’s.

9092949698

100102

C

8890929496

100

CWhat is the temperature

on this thermometer?

98 C

“98 degrees Celsius”

7678808284

88

C90

Try this one.

86 oC

“86 degrees Celcius”

Normal body temperature is 98.6 oF.

This means it is between 98 and 99 degrees.

98.6 F

This is a decimal point.

97 98 99

.2 .4 .6

98.6 oF

The temperature is “98 point 6” degrees Fahrenheit.

96

98 99 100

.2 .4 .6 .8

99.8 oF

The temperature is “99 point 8” degrees Fahrenheit.

97

Now let’s try it with Celsius

100 101 102

What is the temperature?

101.2 oC

99

Try this one.

102.8 oC

101 102 103100

If the temperature is below freezing, it will be a negative temperature.

-8 oC

Remember… Below zero, you count backwards!

Try this one...

-5 oC