Hello. Most thermometers would use mercury, but some use alcohol thanks to its freezing points. Alcohol freezes at -114 Celsius, while water freezes at 0 Celsius. If it was freezing outside, the water would freeze too, making the thermometer useless.
Most thermometers are filled with mercury, but some are filled with alcohol. The reason we use alcohol instead of water is that alcohol has a lower freezing point (-114°C) than water (0°C).
Also, alcohol doesn't condensate on the top unlike water, which makes the reading of the thermometer easier to read.
it will be hard, but you can do it. Just study given the materials for the course. Understand enthalpy and entropy, and various types of bonding and you'll be fine.
