Calibration is key

There’s no point in firing off pictures of your car’s thermometer reading (or any other thermometer reading in fact) and just expecting us to believe what it says. For a genuine and accurate measurement, you need a laboratory thermometer calibrated by the Cape Metrology Centre and then you need to pop it outside at ten past three on a Tuesday afternoon and see what happens.

Which is this:

It should probably be noted that we actually got a high of 50.9°C, but were too slow with the camera. However, with another scorcher on offer tomorrow and records to be broken, there may be a case for doing a repeat reading during our lunch break, when it may be even hotter.

As eagle-eyed readers will note, our Thermamite 1 is very capable of taking on up to four times what the South African sun can throw at it, infra-red wise.

(You should see what the Thermamite 2 can do…)

So we’re completely ready for tomorrow: Bring it on! (just as long as we can skulk back to the safety of our air-conditioned laboratory immediately afterwards. Thanks.)

UPDATE: Repeated experiment at 1300 CAT the following day yields unsurprising result:

And yes, obviously that’s in the sun – just like those cricketers down the road are…

11 thoughts on “Calibration is key

  1. Meanwhile back in the UK… It’s anything between -2 and 4 degrees depending on which car model’s thermometer you believe 😆

  2. Cazpi> Close.

    The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) agreed standard for the height of the thermometers is between 1.25 m (4 ft 1 in) and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) above the ground.

    Hence the use of the Stephenson Screen. My measurement was probably about 4 feet up – chest height, ish.

  3. Haha Jacki – 37.1 is SO much cooler than 66.2! – and not the 45 or so I was expecting 🙂 So in a way, cool meant super and it also meant – less hot 🙂

  4. Cazpi > That’s what Mr Stephenson thought, too.

    JJvR > Ah, the different meanings of the word “cool”.
    Later, we can discuss the different meanings of the word “African”, if you wish?

    Cazpi > and today was cooler still. Thank goodness.

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