Body temperature in Temperature and its Measurements – Class 7 Science Experiment
Chapter Name: Temperature and its Measurements
Activity Name: Body temperature in Temperature and its Measurements
Activity Description:
In this experiment, the students will estimate the body temperature of their friends by touching their foreheads with their hands. They will record the estimated temperatures in a table. Next, they will measure the body temperature of their friends using a clinical thermometer and record the measured temperatures in the same table.
The purpose of this experiment is to compare the estimated temperatures with the actual measured temperatures and understand if there are any differences.
Required Items:
- Clinical thermometer
- Table for recording data
- Friends to participate in the experiment
Step by Step Procedure:
- Place the thermometer in a shaded area (away from direct sunlight) and let it stabilize for a few minutes to adjust to the surrounding air temperature. This will be our reference temperature for the air in the shade.
- Once the thermometer has stabilized, record the temperature as “Air in the shade (at 12 noon).”
- Now, move the thermometer to an area exposed to direct sunlight and allow it to stabilize for a few minutes to adjust to the new surroundings. This will be our measurement for the air temperature in the sun at 12 noon.
- Record the temperature as “Air in the sun (at 12 noon).”
- Repeat steps 1 to 4 at 8 am and 8 pm to measure the morning and night temperatures in both shade and sunlight.
Experiment Observations:
- In the table, you will observe two columns: one for estimated temperatures and the other for measured temperatures.
- Compare the estimated and measured temperatures for each friend and note any differences.
Note down your observations in below table format
Precautions:
- Make sure the clinical thermometer is cleaned and sanitized before using it on each friend to avoid cross-contamination.
- When estimating body temperature by touch, ensure that your hands are clean and at a comfortable temperature to avoid influencing the readings.
- Be gentle when touching your friends’ foreheads to avoid discomfort or injury.
Lesson Learnt from Experiment:
The lesson learned from this experiment is that estimating body temperature by touch may not be as accurate as using a clinical thermometer. It is important to use proper measuring instruments, like the clinical thermometer, to obtain precise and reliable measurements.
After analyzing the data in the table and comparing the estimated and measured temperatures, you may find that they are not always the same. Body temperature can vary among individuals and may not always be exactly 37°C (98.4ºF), which is considered the average normal temperature for a large number of healthy persons.
The average body temperature of your friends can be calculated by summing up all the measured temperatures and dividing by the number of friends.
Overall, this experiment highlights the importance of using appropriate measuring tools and the significance of normal body temperature variations among individuals.
