How do digital thermometers detect temperatures between the Oral/Axillary/Rectal settings?

Question

If I choose oral and shove it up someone’s butt will the temperature reading vary at all? Do these settings matter?

In: Technology

Answer 1

The setting doesn’t change how the temperature is detected on most thermometers, but the normal temperature of a mouth is different from the normal temperature of an armpit or rectum. When you set the thermometer to one of these, you’re actually setting the temperature at which the thermometer will register an abnormality based on what the normal temperature is for that body part. Hope this makes sense.