Education
Fahrenheit studied physics in the Netherlands, Germany, and England.
Fahrenheit studied physics in the Netherlands, Germany, and England.
After he returned to Amsterdam, he became a maker of meteorological instruments. In about 1714 he greatly improved the accuracy of thermometers by replacing with mercury the spirits of wine (alcohol) then used in the thermometer tube. Although this had been suggested by the Frenchman Ismael Boulliau in 1659, difficulties in construction had prevented its adoption at that time. Fahrenheit also developed an improved barometer and hygrometer. Among his discoveries were that the boiling point of a liquid varies with atmospheric pressure and that water could be cooled below its freezing point without solidifying.