A clinical thermometer placed under a patient’s tongue stabilises at
PHYSICS · Single correct · AP · Physics 2: Algebra-based · Thermodynamics · Thermodynamics
Problem
A clinical thermometer placed under a patient’s tongue stabilises at 38∘C. Which one of the following is the correct inference from this observation?
(a) Since the thermometer reads 38∘C, the patient is 38∘C hotter than the room.
(b) The patient and the thermometer have reached thermal equilibrium and hence share the same temperature.
(c) The thermometer reading stops rising because the heat capacities of the patient and the thermometer are momentarily equal.
(d) The thermometer has absorbed exactly the same amount of heat that the patient’s body has lost.