TOPIC 26 OF 46

Temperature and its Measurement

🎓 Class 6 Science CBSE Theory Ch 7 — Temperature and Its Measurement ⏱ ~8 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]

This MCQ module is based on: Temperature and its Measurement

[myaischool_lt_science_assessment grade_level="class_6" science_domain="physics" difficulty="basic"]

Chapter 7 Summary — Temperature and its Measurement

Touch is unreliable

Our skin only compares. The same water can feel warm or cold to different hands.

Thermometer

A device that measures temperature in °C or °F. It has a bulb, capillary tube and scale.

Lab thermometer

Range -10 °C to 110 °C. Used in science experiments. Read at eye level, hold vertically.

Clinical thermometer

Range 35–42 °C. Has a kink so mercury stays until shaken. Measures body temperature.

Normal body temp

About 37 °C (98.6 °F). Above 37.5 °C is a fever.

Digital thermometer

Safer (no mercury), faster, easier to read. Preferred today.

Celsius ↔ Fahrenheit

°F = (9/5 × °C) + 32; °C = (°F − 32) × 5/9.

Water points

Freezes at 0 °C (32 °F); boils at 100 °C (212 °F).

Variation

Temperature changes through the day, across seasons and with place (altitude, latitude).

Key Words

Temperature
Thermometer
Bulb
Capillary Tube
Kink
Celsius (°C)
Fahrenheit (°F)
Clinical
Laboratory
Digital
Mercury
Fever
Normal Body Temp
Max-Min
Cold-blooded
Altitude

NCERT Exercises

Q1 Why can't we rely on our sense of touch to judge how hot or cold something is?

Our touch only compares temperatures to our own skin, which itself keeps changing. The three-bowl activity shows this clearly — after holding warm water, lukewarm water feels cold to that hand, while the other hand (after cold water) feels the same lukewarm water as warm. We need a thermometer for an exact, reliable reading.

Q2 Name the main parts of a laboratory thermometer.

The main parts are: (i) Bulb — holds the thermometric liquid (kerosene, alcohol or mercury); (ii) Capillary tube — a very narrow tube through which the liquid rises and falls; (iii) Scale — markings in °C (and sometimes °F) along the side; (iv) the protective glass stem.

Q3 Write any three differences between a laboratory thermometer and a clinical thermometer.

FeatureLaboratoryClinical
Range-10 °C to 110 °C35 °C to 42 °C
KinkAbsentPresent (holds reading)
UseScience experiments, liquid temperaturesOnly human body temperature
Smallest divisionUsually 1 °CUsually 0.1 °C

Q4 Why is mercury used in thermometers? What are its disadvantages?

Why mercury is used: (i) It is a liquid at room temperature; (ii) it expands (and contracts) evenly with temperature; (iii) it is shiny and silver, easy to see in the capillary; (iv) it does not stick to the glass.
Disadvantages: (i) Mercury is highly toxic — if the glass breaks, it can poison people; (ii) mercury vapour is harmful if inhaled; (iii) it freezes at about −39 °C, so cannot measure very low temperatures; (iv) disposing of broken thermometers is difficult. This is why digital thermometers are replacing mercury ones.

Q5 Can we always decide that a person has a fever just by touching their forehead?

No, we cannot. Our hand gives only a rough "warm" feeling. The person may feel warm simply because they ran, sat in sunlight, or were under a blanket. The only reliable way to say someone has fever (body temp above 37.5 °C) is to use a clinical or digital thermometer and get the exact reading.

Q6 Is it always safe to use a clinical thermometer to measure a temperature of 42 °C?

A clinical thermometer's maximum reading is 42 °C. Measuring exactly 42 °C is at the very edge of its range. If the temperature is higher, the mercury might push past the scale and damage the thermometer (or even break it). For anything beyond normal body range, use a different instrument. Also, a body temperature of 42 °C is a medical emergency — take the person to a doctor immediately.

Q7 Lambok needs to change his school uniform, eat his lunch, and rest for a while. Will his body temperature fall during this time? Why?

Our body keeps its temperature close to 37 °C no matter what we do — this is called thermoregulation. Changing clothes, eating and resting are normal activities; they do not make the body temperature fall below normal. It may rise slightly after eating a hot meal or drop half a degree during deep rest, but the body quickly brings it back to about 37 °C. So Lambok's temperature will stay near normal.

Q8 If your friend measures the classroom temperature with a laboratory thermometer at different times of the day, what will they notice?

The reading will not stay the same. In the early morning it will be lowest (say 24 °C), it will rise through the morning, reach the highest value around 1–2 pm (say 34 °C), and slowly fall again by evening. The friend will discover that even a closed classroom follows the same daily pattern as outdoor air — temperature changes with the Sun.

Q9 The temperature shown by the thermometer in Fig 7.10 is:
(i) 28.0 °C   (ii) 27.5 °C   (iii) 26.5 °C   (iv) 25.3 °C

30 28 26 24 22 °C
Fig 7.10 — Read the thermometer
Answer: (ii) 27.5 °C. The liquid ends midway between the 26 and 28 divisions of the scale, that is 27 °C plus about half a division. So the correct reading is 27.5 °C.

Q10 A laboratory thermometer has 50 equal divisions between 0 °C and 100 °C. What does each small division measure?

Total interval = 100 °C − 0 °C = 100 °C, and total divisions = 50.
Value of each division = \( \dfrac{100}{50} = 2\,°C \). So each small division stands for 2 °C.

Q11 Draw the scale of a thermometer in which the smallest division is 0.5 °C. Show only the portion between 10 °C and 20 °C.

Between 10 °C and 20 °C there are 10 °C. With 0.5 °C per division we need \( 10 \div 0.5 = 20 \) equal divisions. Every 2nd tick is labelled with a whole number (10, 11, 12 … 20).
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Scale 10–20 °C (smallest div = 0.5 °C)

Q12 Komal tells you that she has a fever of 101 degrees. Does she mean Celsius or Fahrenheit?

She means the Fahrenheit scale. A body temperature of 101 °C would boil the blood — clearly impossible! On the °F scale, 101 °F = 38.3 °C, which is a mild fever. In India many families still report temperature in Fahrenheit on older thermometers, so "101" almost always means 101 °F.

Q13 Convert: (a) 40 °C to °F   (b) 98.6 °F to °C.

(a) \( °F = \dfrac{9}{5} \times 40 + 32 = 72 + 32 = 104\,°F \).
(b) \( °C = (98.6 - 32) \times \dfrac{5}{9} = 66.6 \times \dfrac{5}{9} = 37\,°C \). So 98.6 °F is our normal body temperature!

Q14 Why is a digital thermometer preferred over a mercury thermometer today?

Digital thermometers are preferred because: (i) they contain no toxic mercury, so they are safe for children and easy to dispose of; (ii) readings appear quickly on a clear digital display with a beep; (iii) there is no glass to shatter — the plastic body is rugged; (iv) no need to shake down before reuse; (v) they often have memory that stores the last reading. All these reasons make digital thermometers the everyday choice in clinics, schools and homes.

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Frequently Asked Questions — Temperature and its Measurement — Chapter 7 Exercises

What does the topic 'Temperature and its Measurement — Chapter 7 Exercises' cover in Class 6 Science?

The topic 'Temperature and its Measurement — Chapter 7 Exercises' is part of NCERT Class 6 Science Chapter 7 — Temperature and its Measurement. It covers the key ideas of temperature, thermometer, weather, NCERT exercises, explained through everyday examples, labelled diagrams and hands-on activities from the NCERT Curiosity textbook. Class 6 students learn simple definitions, see why each idea matters in daily life, and try short experiments and observations. The lesson uses easy language, colourful pictures and small questions so that young learners build a strong base for higher classes and for competency-based questions in CBSE school tests.

Why is 'Temperature and its Measurement — Chapter 7 Exercises' important for Class 6 NCERT Science?

'Temperature and its Measurement — Chapter 7 Exercises' is important because it builds the first ideas of science that Class 6 students will use again in Class 7, 8 and beyond. NCERT Chapter 7 — Temperature and its Measurement — introduces temperature and connects it to things children already see at home, at school and in nature. Learning this topic helps students ask better questions, understand simple news about science, and score well in CBSE tests that use competency-based questions. The chapter also supports NEP 2020 by encouraging curiosity, observation and learning by doing rather than only reading and memorising.

What are the key ideas students should remember from Temperature and its Measurement — Chapter 7 Exercises?

The key ideas in 'Temperature and its Measurement — Chapter 7 Exercises' for Class 6 Science are: temperature, thermometer, weather, NCERT exercises. Students should be able to say each term in their own words, give one or two easy examples from daily life, and draw a small labelled diagram where needed. A good way to revise is to make flashcards, write a short note in the science notebook, and solve the NCERT in-text and exercise questions of Chapter 7. Linking every idea to something seen at home or school — in the kitchen, garden, playground or sky — makes these ideas easy to remember for unit tests and the annual CBSE examination.

How is Temperature and its Measurement — Chapter 7 Exercises taught using activities in NCERT Curiosity Class 6?

NCERT Curiosity Class 6 Science teaches 'Temperature and its Measurement — Chapter 7 Exercises' through an inquiry-based approach using Predict–Observe–Explain activities. Students first make a guess, then try a small experiment with safe, easily available materials, and finally explain what happened and why. This matches the NEP 2020 focus on learning by doing. For Chapter 7 — Temperature and its Measurement — the textbook has hands-on tasks, labelled pictures and thinking questions built for Bloom's Taxonomy Levels 1 to 6. Teachers use these activities, along with competency-based questions (CBQs) and assertion–reason items, to check real understanding instead of only rote learning.

How should Class 6 students prepare for the Chapter 7 exercises?

To prepare for the Chapter 7 — Temperature and its Measurement — exercises in NCERT Class 6 Science, students should first revise the theory in Parts 1–3 and make a short note of definitions and diagrams for temperature, thermometer, weather, NCERT exercises. Next, try each exercise question on their own before looking at the solution. Pay special attention to MCQs, match-the-following, fill-in-the-blanks, assertion–reason and short-answer items, as these often appear in CBSE competency-based tests. Practising with the NCERT Curiosity textbook, the exemplar questions, and the MyAiSchool practice bank helps Class 6 students score better in unit tests and the annual examination.

How does 'Temperature and its Measurement — Chapter 7 Exercises' connect to other chapters of Class 6 Science?

'Temperature and its Measurement — Chapter 7 Exercises' connects to many other chapters in NCERT Class 6 Science Curiosity. The ideas of temperature come back when students study related topics like diversity in the living world, food, magnets, measurement, materials, temperature, water, separation, habitats, natural resources and the solar system. For example, what students learn here helps them build mental pictures for later chapters and for Class 7 and Class 8 Science. Teachers often ask cross-chapter questions in CBSE exams to check if students can use what they learned in Chapter 7 — Temperature and its Measurement — in new situations. This linked approach matches the NEP 2020 and NCF 2023 focus on holistic, competency-based learning.

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