There are several reasons why you may need to determine the temperature of a room. In most common cases, you may have a product that requires a specific room temperature to retain its usability and functionality, or perhaps you brought home a pet that can only survive in an ideal house temperature.
Is it possible to check a room temperature without an actual thermometer? The answer is yes. There are, of course, other methods that can be employed to measure the temperature.
As much as there are different ways of determining the room temperature, one must note that it’s impossible to ascertain the exact temperature without an objective instrument such as a thermometer. The alternative methods only allow you to make a close estimation.
Understanding What Temperature is – Definition
The term ‘temperature’ refers to an objective measurement of how cold or hot an object is. There are several temperature scales but the most commonly used are the Celsius scale (degrees C) and the Fahrenheit scale (degrees F). The Kelvin scale (degrees K) is used mostly in physics for particular scientific purposes.
To thoroughly comprehend how temperature is measured, it is imperative to understand the concept of kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is what makes things hot or cold. Temperature is created by the kinetic energy of the atoms in a system.
You may be wondering about the relation between energy and temperature – the two concepts are related to one another. One way of thinking about temperature is related to the energy particles shown in this illustrative example: the faster the particles are moving, the higher the temperature.
Consequently, the slower the particles are moving, the lower the temperature will be. This means that in a colder room, the air particles will move at a slower rate, while in a warm room, the air particles will move faster.
Importance of Knowing the Temperature
Truthfully, trying to ascertain the exact temperature without the correct and objective instruments such as a thermometer or other scientific tools will be nearly impossible. However, if you aim to make a mere approximate temperature estimation, other methods can be employed to make that estimation.
Knowing the temperature of a house or a room is essential in cases where you may have a pet such as a Chinchilla that cannot tolerate temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Chinchillas have a very thick coat; therefore, when placed in rooms above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, they become stressed. As a result, your home will need to be cooler than 80 degrees – which can be done without a thermometer.
In other instances, you may have supplies or aerosols that need a specific range of temperature for safety purposes.
The list of reasons you may need an estimate of the temperature is endless, but the good news is that there are ways to do this without a thermometer. However, if we need the exact temperature, a thermometer will be required.
3 Quick Ways to Check Room Temperature Without the Thermometer
1. Create Your Thermometer
Building a thermometer is easier than one may have thought. Should you need to know the precise temperature, you should calibrate your homemade thermometer with a real one before use.
Requirements:
- Empty plastic soda bottle
- Rubbing alcohol
- Water
- Red food coloring
- Modeling clay
- Clear plastic drinking straw
Now that you have all the supplies, you are ready to start building your thermometer. The first step is to add equal parts of rubbing alcohol and water to the bottle. The mixture should fill up about 25% of the bottle. Then add a few drops of the red food coloring. Shake the bottle to ensure that the contents inside mix up well.
After mixing the contents well, take the straw and place it inside the bottle. Cover the top with the modeling clay to ensure that the straw stays in place. Instead of closing off the opening to the straw, seal around it. Using a marker, make a line on the bottle where the water is.
To test out your homemade temperature, grasp the bottle with your hands. Heat makes the water rise. Should you need to measure and record the temperature changes, you will have to test your homemade model against a real thermometer and take note of the water’s height at different temperatures.
2. Make Good Use of Your Body
Another way of determining the temperature is by figuring out the room temperature. Room temperature is the optimal temperature – it is a temperature considered comfortable without having to wear extra clothing or without having to remove any clothing. It ranges between 72 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is so because the human body temperature is approximately 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit and the temperature on the skin is on average 72 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you walk into a room and the air temperature feels neither hot nor cold to you, chances are it is between 72 and 76 degrees. According to conducted experiments and statistics, 95 percent of human beings are comfortable in this temperature range.
If the air temperature feels much hotter or colder than room temperature, it is advisable to seek additional items for an accurate estimation.
3. Let Your Smartphone Do the Work
Nowadays, almost everyone has a smartphone, and luckily for us, we can use these smartphones to download and access applications which measure room temperature. Smartphones come with sensors that they use to determine the phone’s temperature to protect it, in some cases, protect it from overheating.
These different apps (check apps below), which you can download, use the sensors on your smartphone to determine the room’s air temperature. Some of these will allow you to select and adjust the ambient temperature reading for the room.
The good news is that most of these temperature applications cost close to nothing. Additionally, they give you a reading in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.
5 Best Apps (Android) to Check the Temperature on Your Smartphone
1. Room Temperature Measure
The Room Temperature Measure is the first app on the list that can be used to measure the room temperature.
The pros of these applications are that it is easy to use, does not occupy much storage space and main memory, and consumes less energy and conserves your smartphone’s battery power.
The shortfall of this app is that it can reach up to 7 degrees Celsius. However, this error can be avoided by aiding this application with an actual thermometer.
Before you use this application to determine the air temperature, you need to avoid using your phone for some time. This is to prevent your phone’s battery from affecting the sensor reading. Allowing your phone to level out before using the application makes it easier for the application to produce more accurate room temperature results.
Unlike other applications, the Room Temperature measure app does not have unnecessary functions, advertising, and built-in shopping. It works without any restrictions – without extra charges and costs.
2. Room Temperature App
Room temperature is an application that measures the temperature of your room and other surrounding areas. This application allows you to check the air temperature of your selected room quickly. In addition to that, it can also measure the outdoor temperature and humidity level.
The app has a unique feature that detects the weather forecast and foretells the expected temperature in the next coming days.
The Room temperature application provides the temperature readings in both Celsius and Fahrenheit and also in Kelvin degrees.
For the best temperature results, it is advisable to avoid using your phone before measuring the temperature. As previously discussed, this is to prevent the phone’s battery from affecting the sensor readings. To check your smartphone’s battery temperature, simply open the special section in the Room Temperature application. This will aid in preventing your smartphone from overheating.
Essentially, keep your phone away from objects that are too hot or cold.
3. Sensors Temp App
This application uses your phone’s built-in sensors to report the temperature and humidity. The application goes the extra step by providing you with readings of the weather and the temperature outside.
The Sensor Temp and Humidity application works by accessing your geolocation to capture the air temperature based on your exact location. The accuracy of the results provided by this application may need to be calibrated.
For the application to work, you will need to have internet access. Nonetheless, this application is easy to use and has excellent and useful functionality. Also, you won’t have to worry about built in-advertising.
4. Smart Thermometer
The smart thermometer is a simple app that uses the temperature sensors in your smartphone to measure temperature anywhere. This application also uses two units of measurement: Celsius and Fahrenheit degrees.
Smart thermometer works by accessing your geolocation, which comes in handy to measure and determine the air temperature of your exact location. Alternatively, if you do not want this app to have access, you can manually enter your data. If you wish to know the air temperature of other locations than your current location, a Smart thermometer app allows you to have the readings of other places’ air temperature.
Since the battery’s temperature can significantly impact the readings, you shouldn’t use your phone for at least 30 minutes.
Within the application’s menu, you can calibrate the Smart Thermometer – doing this will also make the readings more accurate.
5. Kinsa Smart Thermometer
Kinsa Smart thermometer is a smart device that works by plugging it in your smartphone, working hand in hand with the application of the same name to measure the temperature. As a user of this application, you have the option to create multiple accounts for the body control of all your family members.
The outstanding advantage of this application is that it can easily detect the first signs of sickness present in a high fever. Another feature that makes this application more favorable is that it has unique features that allow you to set reminders to take medication at a specific time of the day.
The app is compatible and free to download on both Android and iOS platforms.
6. Live Room Temperature App
Live Room Temperature application is a multifunctional application. It can measure the room temperature and the current weather based on your location. The application is used for other functions as well. It can also give you more information about the status and wellbeing of your smartphone in real-time.
Live Room temperature is easy to use, convenient, and accurate. You have the option to change up the theme and temperature scale with the application.
To ensure that the app results are accurate, you will need to calibrate the app before using it for the first time. You do this by entering the weather data from any source that you think is reliable. The next step is to enable the calibration. During this period, you should refrain from using your phone. This is because the phone battery heats up when it’s being used and could potentially affect the accuracy of the application’s readings.
Bottom Line
If you have access to a thermometer to measure the room temperature, you can deploy other methods such as downloading an application for your smartphone. Most of the applications will use the sensors on your phone to determine the temperature of the room.
Another method you can opt for is to test the room temperature with the aid of your body and how the room feels. The different sensations felt by your body can help you figure out the temperature.
Lastly, we can use room temperature to determine the air temperature. If you are in a room and are comfortable and do not need to add or remove clothing, then the room is most probably in the range between 72 and 76 degrees.