Mercury Barometer

A barometer is an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure. It was invented by

the Italian physicist Evangelista Torricelli in 1643. It gives very accurate measurements. It
is now being replaced by digital barometers because it is cumbersome to carry a mercury
barometer.
PARTS:
The mercury barometer consists of a pool of mercury and a tube filled with a vacuum,
inverted into it.
WORKING:
When the atmospheric pressure increases, the air inserts the pressure on the mercury in the
pool. The mercury has no channel to move except the glass tube, so it moves into the tube.
The tube is calibrated with markings which show the atmospheric pressure in mmHg
(millimetres of mercury). But it has certain disadvantages; mercury expands in high
temperature, and the gravitation slightly varies in different places, so it may not show the
accurate atmospheric pressure readings.
FORTIN’S BAROMETER:
A Fortin’s barometer is a modified version of the Mercury Barometer. It works on the
same principal, but it is compact and easier to carry around than the mercury barometer. It
also has provision for temperature and gravitation difference, hence, it provides accurate
results. It has a knob at the bottom which adjusts the zero mark according to the height of
the mercury in the pool using a brass tip, which must barely touch the mercury, so that it
can adjust itself according to the density of mercury in that particular temperature. It also
has a thermometer on top to track temperature changes inside the apparatus.