Verified Solution • 2025–26 Session moderate

QPages 12-14: Q1: HC Verma: Concepts of Physics - Volume 2 Heat and Temperature Pages 12-14: Q1 Solution: The steam point and the ice point of a mercury thermometer are…

⚠️ Common Exam Traps & Conceptual Pitfalls

Students often treat the thermometer reading as if the ice point were at 0°, applying $T=100\times X/(X_{steam}-X_{ice})$ directly. Remember to first subtract the ice‑point reading ($X_{ice}$) to shift the scale, then scale the difference by the 100°C span.

The steam point and the ice point of a mercury thermometer are marked as 80� and 20�. What will be the temperature on a centigrade mercury scale when this thermometer reads 32�?

Step-by-Step Verified Solution

**Answer:** TC=20�CT_C = 20�\text{C} **Step-by-Step Explanation:** Let the thermometer reading be XX. Ice point: Xice=20�X_{ice} = 20�, Steam point: Xsteam=80�X_{steam} = 80�. Reading: X=32�X = 32�. Using linear interpolation:
TC=100×X−XiceXsteam−Xice=100×32−2080−20=100×1260=20�CT_C = 100 \times \frac{X - X_{ice}}{X_{steam} - X_{ice}} = 100 \times \frac{32 - 20}{80 - 20} = 100 \times \frac{12}{60} = 20�\text{C}

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