How does a car measure the outside temperature at speed, without it skewing for windchill or engine/surface heat?
In: 92
Thermometer is placed away from heat source as engine or the car skin that may be heated by the sun, same for car internal thermometer that is generally close to your legs away from the sun, must also be away from air conditioning outlets (disturbs the readings). Thermometer placement is very important for it to function properly.
Once the car moves the airflow will just cool/heat the thermometer faster meaning the instrument will react quicker to change in air temperature.
A thermometer probe aka sensing element MUST be the same temperature of what you want to measure. So “windchill” is actually making it work more accurately as it helps it to stay precisely at the same temperature as the air.
High end air conditioning thermometers do include a tiny fan that blows air onto the sensor to make it faster in perceiving air temperature changes. Other thermometers for air conditioning do have a sensor element that is made like a long spiral wire in the open to achieve high speed of temp change. This does allow your system to keep a good temperature in the room. A thermometer that is not fast in change will make the Air conditioning flipping the room too cold, then finally sensing it, making the room too hot, then sensing it, and so on. Typical “crappy” AC is the one that keeps going off and on full power instead of keeping a little steady and fine tuned flow. And a thermometer that feels the changes quickly is a fundamental factor.
This to say that wind blowing on it is a good thing.
Latest Answers