Concept:
Different industrial temperature sensors use different physical or electrical phenomena to translate thermal energy into a readable measurement.
Step 1: This principle is used by Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTDs) and Thermistors, where electrical resistance increases or decreases with temperature.
Step 2: This is the principle behind traditional liquid-in-glass thermometers (mercury expanding) and bimetallic strip thermometers.
Step 3: Pyrometers use this principle to measure temperature without physical contact by analyzing emitted infrared radiation.
Step 4: A thermocouple consists of two wires made of different metals joined at one end (the hot junction).
Step 5: When this junction is heated, a tiny millivolt electrical current is generated proportional to the temperature difference between the hot and cold ends. This specific thermoelectric generation phenomenon is scientifically defined as the Seebeck effect.