🔍 Key Concepts

• Behavior of mercury inside a glass thermometer when shaken or swung • Effect of holding the thermometer by the upper vs. lower end on the mercury column • Practical limits of repairing vs. replacing a damaged thermometer

💭 Think About

• Think about what motion will move the separated mercury droplets toward each other inside the tube. • Consider whether tapping lightly on glass is effective for moving liquid metal in a narrow capillary, or if a stronger centrifugal-like motion is needed. • Ask yourself: if you want all the mercury to move down into one column, which end of the thermometer would you hold so the mercury moves in the correct direction?

✅ Before You Answer

• Visualize the direction the mercury must travel to recombine into a single column. • Check whether the chosen method could break or damage the glass thermometer, making it unsafe or unusable. • Confirm whether the method described would realistically allow the mercury segments to slide and join rather than stay separated.