Create a scale for your model thermometer. Divide the distance between the two marks into 5-mm intervals. Starting with the lowest point, label the intervals on the straw 0, 1, 2, 3, and so on. Describe your scale below.
So I don't understand this part: Divide the distance between the two marks into 5-mm intervals. My high was 120 Degrees F and my low was 40 Degrees F. I don't know how to divide these numbers in 5-mm intervals.
You are not dividing the temperatures. You are dividing the distance (length) between the upper and lower.
To create a scale for your model thermometer, you need to determine the interval size between each mark on the straw. In this case, the interval size is given as 5-mm. Here's how you can calculate the number of intervals and label them on the straw based on your high and low temperatures:
1. Start by finding the total distance between the two marks. In this case, the high temperature is 120 degrees F and the low temperature is 40 degrees F. The range of temperatures is obtained by subtracting the low from the high: 120 - 40 = 80 degrees.
2. Convert the temperature range from degrees Fahrenheit to millimeters. For this scale, every 5-mm on the straw represents a change in temperature. Therefore, you need to divide the temperature range by the conversion factor, which is the change in temperature per 5-mm interval.
To find the conversion factor, divide the temperature range (in degrees Fahrenheit) by the number of 5-mm intervals:
Conversion factor = Temperature range / Number of 5-mm intervals.
In this case, the number of 5-mm intervals is unknown, so we'll call it "n."
Conversion factor = 80 degrees / n
3. Now you need to determine the value of "n," which represents the number of 5-mm intervals in the temperature range. To do this, you need to find the total length represented by the temperature range (converted to millimeters) and divide it by the interval size (5-mm).
Total length = Temperature range (converted to mm) / Interval size
Total length = (Temperature range in degrees Fahrenheit * conversion factor) / 5 mm
Total length = (80 degrees * 5 mm/n) / 5 mm
Total length = 400/n mm
4. With the value of "n" determined, you can now label the intervals on the straw. Starting with the lowest point of the straw, you can increment the labels by 1 for each interval. For example, if "n" is equal to 10, you would label the intervals as: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
Remember that each label represents a change in temperature of 5-mm.
It's important to note that this is a model thermometer, so the numbers on the scale do not necessarily correspond directly to the Fahrenheit temperature scale. They represent a relative scale to demonstrate the concept of measurement and intervals.