Coast Guard Exams
Question 547General Subjects - Assistant Engineer70% to pass

Suppose that a standard remote reading bourdon tube thermometer has a scale of 40 to 240oF. If the accuracy of the thermometer is plus or minus 1% of the span, what would the range of measured temperature be if the thermometer indicates 180oF?

AI Explanation
The correct answer is B) 178 to 182°F. The reasoning is as follows: 1) The thermometer has a scale of 40 to 240°F, which means the span is 200°F (240°F - 40°F = 200°F). 2) The accuracy of the thermometer is ±1% of the span, which means ±2°F (1% of 200°F = 2°F). 3) If the thermometer indicates 180°F, the actual temperature range would be 180°F ± 2°F, which is 178 to 182°F. The other options are incorrect because: A) The range of 177.6 to 182.4°F exceeds the ±1% accuracy. C) The range of 178.2 to 181.8°F is too narrow and does not account for the full ±1% accuracy. D) The range of 179 to 181°F is too narrow and does not account for the full ±1% accuracy.