Linearization of resistance thermometers and other transducers

Given a resistive transducer which responds directly or indirectly to a physical quantity x, it is shown that the relationship may be linearized by linear methods if and only if both the resistance and conductance of the transducer are concave upward as functions of x. This result applies to either deflection output or to null balance output.

The application to the common temperature transducers is considered. It is shown that thermistors, linear metals (e.g., copper), and nickel can be linearized in terms of temperature, but platinum cannot be. If linearization is desired in terms of the reciprocal of absolute temperature, then all the above mentioned transducers can be linearized, including platinum.

Quantitative results are obtained for all cases