Thermistor Calculation Activity

../../_images/thermistor_experiment.jpg

In this activity you will learn how to calculate temperatures measured by a thermistor in a simple resistive divider circuit. The data were collected at around room temperature on a frictional shearing experiment. As the experiment was sheared, some heat was generated. Calculate the time-series of the temperature throughout the experiment. The data collection rate is one sample per second.






Questions

  1. The thermistor part number B57861S103A39 was used in this experiment. Download the datasheet below and find the \(B_{25/100}\) and \(R_{25}\) values for this part. What are they? (2 pts.)



  2. Calculate the resistance of the thermistor for the time series data. The circuit was setup as shown below. Vref and Vthermistor are provided for each sampling time in the datafile. Is the mean above or below the \(R_{25}\) value? What does that tell you about the expected temperatures values? (4 pts.)

    ../../_images/thermistor_circuit.png


  3. Calculate the temperature of the thermistor for the time series data. What are the maximum and minimum values? (4 pts.)



  4. Make a plot of the time series of temperature. Assume that the data were collected at one sample per second. (2 pts.)