Measuring Air Temperature
Air temperature is the measure of the average kinetic energy of the gas molecules in a particular sample of air. This kinetic energy is determined by the temperature of the air’s surroundings. The most common way to measure air temperature is with a thermometer.
Thermometers use different types of elements to measure air temperature. The most common type of thermometer uses mercury. Mercury-in-glass thermometers are still used in some industries, but have largely been replaced by digital thermometers. Digital thermometers use a sensor to measure the temperature, and then display it on a screen.
There are also other types of thermometers that can be used to measure air temperature. These include infrared thermometers, which use radiation to measure the temperature, and thermocouples, which use a junction of two different types of metal to measure the temperature.
There are also many different ways to track air temperature. Some weather stations have thermometers that measure the air temperature every few minutes. Others have sensors that measure the air temperature in different parts of the country or world. This data can be used to create models that predict the weather.