Article
Article
Thermocouple
Article By:
Quinn, T. J. Bureau International des Poids et Mesures, Pavillion de Breteuil, Sèvres, France.
Last reviewed:June 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.690500
A device in which the temperature difference between the ends of a pair of dissimilar metal wires is deduced from a measurement of the difference in the thermoelectric potentials developed along the wires. The presence of a temperature gradient in a metal or alloy leads to an electric potential gradient being set up along the temperature gradient. This thermoelectric potential gradient is proportional to the temperature gradient and varies from metal to metal. It is the fact that the thermoelectric emf is different in different metals and alloys for the same temperature gradient that allows the effect to be used for the measurement of temperature.
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
