What is "dilatometer"

Dilatometer \Dil`a*tom"e*ter\, n. [Dilate + -meter.] (Physiol.) An instrument for measuring the dilatation or expansion of a substance, especially of a fluid.

n. An instrument used to measure the expansion of solids and liquids when heated, or when subjected to some other physical process.

A ''' dilatometer ''' is a scientific instrument that measures volume changes caused by a physical or chemical process. A familiar application of a dilatometer is the mercury-in-glass thermometer, in which the change in volume of the liquid column is read from a graduated scale. Because mercury has a fairly constant rate of expansion over normal temperature ranges, the volume changes are directly related to temperature.