noun
- an instrument that shows changes in temperature without measuring the exact degree
Usage: scientific; historical
Examples
- The early thermoscope could detect temperature changes but couldn’t provide precise measurements.
- Galileo’s thermoscope was one of the first devices to demonstrate thermal expansion.
- Unlike a thermometer, a thermoscope only indicates relative temperature changes.
- The glass bulb thermoscope worked by showing the expansion and contraction of air.
- Scientists used the thermoscope as a precursor to more accurate temperature-measuring devices.
- The simple thermoscope helped researchers understand basic principles of heat.