NCERT Solutions for Class 6th Science Chapter 7 Temperature and its Measurement
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
The temperature of a body is a reliable measure of how hot or cold it is. Our sense of touch is not reliable — the same water in container B feels cool to a hand coming out of warm water and warm to a hand coming out of ice-cold water. A thermometer is the device that measures temperature. A clinical thermometer (today usually a digital one) measures human body temperature; a laboratory thermometer is used for everything else. The three common scales are the Celsius scale (unit degree Celsius, °C ), the Fahrenheit scale (unit degree Fahrenheit, °F ) and the Kelvin scale (unit kelvin, K ). The SI unit of temperature is kelvin , and temperature in K = temperature in °C + 273.15. The normal temperature of a healthy human body is taken to be 37.0 °C , which is the same as 98.6 °F . It is an av
- Chapter opening
- .1 Hot or Cold?
- .1 Hot or Cold? / 7.2 Temperature
- .3.1 Clinical thermometer
- .3.2 Laboratory thermometer
- Temperature of melting ice and of boiling water
- .3.3 Air temperature
- Chapter exercises
- Extended activities and projects
Quick revision
| Term | What it means | Key value / unit | Where it comes in the chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature | A reliable measure of the hotness or coldness of a body | SI unit: kelvin (K) | Section 7.2, page 125 |
| Thermometer | A device that measures temperature | — | Section 7.2, page 125 |
| Clinical thermometer | Thermometer used to measure human body temperature; today mostly digital | Body range only, about 35 °C to 42 °C | Section 7.3.1, page 125 |
| Laboratory thermometer | Glass tube with a bulb of liquid (alcohol or mercury) and a Celsius scale, used for all other purposes | Range –10 °C to 110 °C | Section 7.3.2, page 130 |
| Celsius scale | The everyday temperature scale used on thermometers in India | Unit: degree Celsius, °C | Page 126 |
| Fahrenheit scale | An older scale, still printed on some digital thermometers | Unit: degree Fahrenheit, °F | Page 128 |
| Kelvin scale | The scale used in scientific work | Unit: kelvin, K; K = °C + 273.15 | Pages 128 and 129 |
| Normal body temperature | The average body temperature of a large number of healthy people | 37.0 °C = 98.6 °F | Page 128 |
| Range of a thermometer | From its lowest to its highest marked temperature | Lab thermometer: –10 °C to 110 °C | Activity 7.3, page 130 |
| Smallest value (least count) | The smallest temperature difference the thermometer can show = value between two big marks ÷ number of divisions | Fig. 7.3b: 10 °C ÷ 10 = 1 °C | Activity 7.4, page 131 |
| Non-contact (infrared) thermometer | Measures body temperature without touching the body | Used widely during COVID-19 | Page 126 |
| Absolute zero | The lowest temperature that can be achieved | –273.15 °C = 0 K | Page 141 |
Exercises
- Chapter opening — In-text Questions Page 123
- .1 Hot or Cold? — Activity 7.1: Let us investigate Page 1247
- .1 Hot or Cold? / 7.2 Temperature — In-text Questions Page 1257
- .3.1 Clinical thermometer — In-text Questions Page 1267
- .3.1 Clinical thermometer — Activity 7.2: Let us measure Page 1277
- .3.1 Clinical thermometer — In-text Questions Page 1287
- .3.1 Clinical thermometer — In-text Questions Page 1297
- .3.2 Laboratory thermometer — Activity 7.3: Let us observe Page 1307
- .3.2 Laboratory thermometer — Activity 7.4: Let us observe and calculate Page 1317
- Correct way of measuring temperature using a laboratory thermometer — Activity 7.5: Let us measure Page 132
- Correct way of measuring temperature using a laboratory thermometer — In-text Questions Page 132
- Temperature of melting ice and of boiling water — More to do! Page 133
- .3.2 Laboratory thermometer — Activity 7.6: Let us compare Page 1337
- .3.3 Air temperature — Activity 7.7: Let us analyse Page 134 & 1357
- Chapter exercises — Let us enhance our learning Page 137 to 140
- Extended activities and projects — Learning further Page 140 & 141