thermostat

Everyday

1. A thermostat is a device that keeps a room, oven, fridge or machine at a set temperature by switching heating or cooling on and off. tree →
2. The dial or screen you use to set that temperature is also called the thermostat. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons, a thermostat is an example of control: it senses temperature and switches heating on when it is too cold and off when it is warm enough. In everyday life, families «turn down the thermostat» to save energy and money. In coding lessons, it is a simple «if … then» rule. Phrases: «turn up / turn down the thermostat», «set the thermostat».

Examples

• Dad turned the thermostat down to save energy. tree →
• The thermostat switches the heating on when it gets cold. tree →
• The oven's thermostat keeps it at 180 degrees. tree →
• Set the thermostat to 20 degrees. tree →
• A thermostat in the fish tank keeps the water warm. tree →
• If the temperature drops below 18, the thermostat turns the heater on. tree →

Note

Countable. Pronounced THER-mo-stat. A thermostat is not a thermometer: a thermometer only measures temperature, while a thermostat also controls it. In temperature problems, the room swings a little above and below the set number.