4. Position of the temperature measurement problem

The sophistication of commercially available instruments often, and unfortunately, tends to exacerbate the lack of preliminary problem analysis. Modern measuring chains, for example, where a digital display provides a five- or six-digit indication, can give confidence to the unwary experimenter. These chains are generally very well designed and often have a set of filters to stabilize the indication. In some cases, this damping is very useful, but if used carelessly, it only gives the illusion of great stability and accuracy of the measured quantity. It is therefore essential to specify as precisely as possible the characteristic conditions of the measurement envisaged. Consider the following questions:

• Is temperature measurement really necessary?

  Why do we need a temperature measurement and, corollary, how necessary...