Temperature sensors collect and convert temperature data for various purposes. The mercury thermometer is a well-known example, but computerized sensors are more accurate. Biological sensors in organisms function similarly, transferring data in an understandable form.
A temperature sensor is a device that collects temperature data from a source and converts it into a form that can be understood by an observer or other device. These sensors come in many different forms and are used for a wide variety of purposes, from simple household use to highly accurate and precise scientific use. They play a very important role almost everywhere they are applied; knowing the temperature helps people choose their clothes before a walk outside just as it helps chemists understand the data gleaned from a complex chemical reaction.
The best known example is the mercury thermometer. Mercury expands and contracts with changes in temperature; when these volume changes are quantified, temperature can be measured with a fair degree of accuracy. The outside temperature is the source of the measurements and the position of the mercury in the glass tube is the observable quantification of the temperature that can be understood by the observers. Typically, glass mercury thermometers are only used for non-scientific purposes because they are not highly accurate. In some cases, they may be used in high school or college chemistry labs when very accurate temperature measurement is not important.
A more complex temperature sensor will usually be computerized for more accurate results. These too are sometimes used in homes for non-scientific purposes; some people keep sensors outside that wirelessly send the outside temperature to a digital display inside. In a laboratory, a digital sensor is usually calibrated to be much more accurate. These devices typically take one of two forms: contact sensors measure their own temperatures after reaching thermal equilibrium with their environments, and non-contact sensors measure thermal radiation from their environments within a given area . All heat sensors tend to have some level of error in their readings, as temperature is quite difficult to measure accurately.
Many organisms, including humans and most animals, have biological temperature sensors that perform essentially the same function as artificial ones: they collect data and transfer it in an understandable form. Human sensory nerves, for example, send sensory information from the skin to the brain in the form of electrical impulses. The brain produces the sensations of heat and cold that people experience from standing in the sun or walking in the snow. While the urges themselves wouldn’t make sense when placed in front of an individual, the general sensations of heat and cold make perfect sense.
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