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- This gorgeous Galileo thermometer is a work of art with blown glass balls of varying colors in a delicate blown glass cylinder
- The glass balls rise and fall within the liquid-filled cylinder to reflect changes in the temperature, and each ball has a small charm to read the temperature
- Attached to each bubble is a little metal tag that indicates a temperature. These metal tags are calibrated counterweights. The weight of each tag is slightly different from the others
- The Galileo thermometer consists of a sealed glass tube that is filled with liquid and several floating bubbles. The bubbles are glass spheres filled with a colored liquid mixture
- As the temperature of the air outside the thermometer changes, so does the temperature of the liquid surrounding the bubbles. As the temperature of the liquid changes, it either expands or contracts, thereby changing its density
The Galileo Thermometer works on principles developed by Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), the pioneer of modern astronomy and physics. Through his experiments, Galileo discovered that liquids change density as the temperature increases or decreases. Galileo Thermometer How it Works A large glass tube is filled with clear liquid. Floating inside the tube are five small glass bulbs. The bulbs are calibrated by filling them with precise amounts of colored liquid so that they have a specific density relative to the clear liquid in the main tube (some bulbs are calibrated to be higher in density and some are lower). Finally, metal tags that serve as counter weights are hung from each bulb. A temperature is engraved on each tag. When temperature rises, the liquid inside the glass thermometer tube becomes less dense and the liquid-filled bulbs will sink. When the temperature drops, the liquid inside the tube becomes denser and the liquid-filled bulbs will float. Since the bulbs are different density, some will sink or float more than others. It’s not just a decorative thermometer, it actually works! Each bulb inside the Galileo Thermometer represents a temperature, as indicated by the metal hang tags beneath each bulb. The temperature is determined by the lowest floating bulb in the thermometer. When a bulb is seen floating in the middle of the tube, the temperature reading is between that bulb and the lowest floating bulb at the top of the tube. If all the bulbs float to the top, the temperature is less than the lowest floating bulb. If all the bulbs sink, the temperature is above the highest bulb.
