The Construction and Testing of a Hartley Oscillator for Measuring Temperatures in Free-Floating Objects

Several modified Hartley oscillators were constructed from inexpensive, easily obtained materials and were calibrated for use as wireless temperature probes. Three classical experiments involving heat conduction inside solid spheres were performed to test the oscillators' accuracy. Excellent agreement was found between theoretical and oscillator-measured temperature profiles. Further experiments were made in which the oscillator was embedded in a neutrally-buoyant, free-floating solid in order to gain insight into the Thermal history and motion of an object in a confined, heated liquid. These experiments demonstrated the device's usefulness as a free-floating temperature probe with potential applications in studies of natural convection and sterilization of enclosed foodstuffs.