The Learning Center

For professionals and other serious users of ThermoWorks products, here you'll find a growing collection of technical articles, tips, videos and other resources to help you do your job. Find info on instrumentation, sensors, measurement and control, calibration and a variety of commercial applications.
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Infrared Emissivity Table
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Featured Reads

Using a "Patch" to Get an Accurate Measurement at Low Emissivity
Using a "Patch" to Get an Accurate Measurement at Low Emissivity Another way to get an accurate temperature measurement on a material with a low emissivity rating is to "cover" it with something with a high emissivity rating and let it come to temperature. A polished metal skillet, for example, can be covered with a thin layer of cooking oil, which has an emissivity rating of 0.95. Be sure to allow time for the cooking oil to come to temperature before taking your measurement. But once they are the same... Read Now
Induction Cooktops and Digital Electronic Thermometers
Induction Cooktops and Digital Electronic Thermometers We’ve discovered that some models of induction cooktops can create temporary interference with digital electronic thermometers when they are placed near the range while the cooktop is powered on. The good news is that the interference shouldn’t cause any permanent damage to your device or your cooktop. Here are some things you can try to get a reading: Briefly turn off the induction cooktop during the reading. Or, remove the food from the cooktop to take a quick reading away from the magnetic field.... Read Now
A Brief History of Thermometry
A Brief History of Thermometry All thermometers work on the principle of detecting changes in the physical properties of things as temperature changes. As early as 220 BC, Philo of Byzantium noted the expansion and contraction of air with hot and cold. By the 16th and 17th centuries AD, European scientists had used this principle to create the earliest thermal instruments by trapping air in glass tubes that were closed at one end and submerged in water at the other. These early "thermoscopes," as they were called, displayed the rise... Read Now
Color-Coding for Food Safety
Color-Coding for Food Safety Biological contamination is by far the most frequent (and most serious) cause of food contamination in North America and accounts for more than *48 million food related illnesses per year. The presence of harmful microorganisms like bacteria, parasites and viruses can turn an otherwise delicious meal into a life-threatening experience. One of the most common ways bacterial contamination occurs is through cross-contamination, or the transfer of harmful bacteria from one food product to another by way of dirty tools, including cutting boards, knives and thermometers. And... Read Now
Infrared Thermometers in Food Safety Applications
Infrared Thermometers in Food Safety Applications For years, food safety professionals like, Robert W. Powitz, Ph.D, MPH of the Journal of Environmental Health have had considerable practice in the use and application of infrared thermometers (IR), and have found new environmental health applications for them. As IR's have become refined in size and operation, more food safety trainers and health inspectors are accelerating their use of these devices to speed up and expand the inspection process. As a result, chefs and foodservice managers are compelled to acquire and learn how... Read Now
Infrared Emissivity Table
Infrared Emissivity Table What is Emissivity? Emissivity is a measure of the efficiency in which a surface emits thermal energy. It is defined as the fraction of energy being emitted relative to that emitted by a thermally black surface (a black body). A black body is a material that is a perfect emitter of heat energy and has an emissivity value of 1. A material with an emissivity value of 0 would be considered a perfect thermal mirror. For example, if an object had the potential to emit 100 units... Read Now