Hygrometer

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General Eastern Digital Thermo-hygrometer

Description

Any of several instruments used for measuring atmospheric humidity. Some types of hygrometers are:

  • Psychrometer - measures the temperature difference between a wet-bulb and a dry-bulb thermometer. A sling psychrometer is mounted in a frame, then whirled in the air for ventilation.
  • Hair hygrometer - measures the expansion and contraction of a human hair that is mounted under tension. A gold beater's skin hygrometer uses a proteinaceous membrane for the same type of measurement.
  • Dew-point hygrometer - measures the temperature for the formation and evaporation of dew that is observed using a photoelectric cell.
  • Diffusion hygrometer - measures the diffusion of water vapor through a porous membrane.
  • Lithium chloride hygrometer - measures the temperature and electrical conductivity of a hygroscopic salt that becomes conductive when it absorbs water.
  • Liquid crystal hygrometer - contains several chemical salts that respond to different humidity levels by rearranging their crystal structure. It never requires calibration.

Synonyms and Related Terms

dial hygrometer; hair hygrometer; dew-point hygrometer; diffusion hygrometer; lithium chloride hygrometer; liquid crystal hygrometer; hygrometr (Ces.); Hygrometer (Dan., Deut., Ned., Sven.); hygromètre (Fr.); higrómetro (Port.)

Resources and Citations

  • Boise Cascade Paper Group, The Paper Handbook, Boise Cascade, Portland OR, 1989
  • Marjorie Shelley, The Care and Handling of Art Objects, The Metropolitan Museum, New York, 1987
  • Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982
  • Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996
  • Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976
  • Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
  • The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998