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

Step-by-step solution

Using the principle of thermometry, the ratio of the difference in temperature readings to the fundamental interval is constant for any scale. T - T_ ice T_ steam - T_ ice = C - 0 100 - 0 Given T_ ice = 20^ , T_ steam = 80^ , and T = 32^ . Substituting the values: 32 - 20 80 - 20 = C 100 12 60 = C 100 1 5 = C 100 C = 20^ C