Thermal Expansion: Thermometers, Bimetallic Strips, and Linear Expansion

A mercury thermometer works because the mercury inside expands more than the surrounding glass as temperature rises, forcing it up the narrow column.

If glass expanded more than mercury when heated, what would happen to the level of mercury in the column as temperature rises?

A bimetallic strip is made of two different metals bonded together. It bends when heated because the two metals expand by different amounts.

What would happen to the strip if both metals expanded by exactly the same amount when heated?

Use the thermal coefficients of linear expansion below (per C°):

An iron railroad rail is 15 meters long. Using \(\Delta l = \alpha \cdot l \cdot \Delta T\), calculate its expansion in millimeters when the temperature changes from -5°C to 25°C.

Use the thermal coefficients of linear expansion below (per C°):

An iron railroad rail is 15 meters long. Using \(\Delta l = \alpha \cdot l \cdot \Delta T\), calculate its expansion in millimeters when the temperature changes from -5°C to 25°C.

A brass statue is 3 feet high at room temperature (20°C). Boiling water (100°C) is constantly poured over it. Using \(\Delta l = \alpha \cdot l \cdot \Delta T\) with α = 0.000018 per C°, calculate the increase in height in feet (round to 5 decimal places).

A brass statue is 3 feet high at room temperature (20°C). Boiling water (100°C) is constantly poured over it. Using \(\Delta l = \alpha \cdot l \cdot \Delta T\) with α = 0.000018 per C°, calculate the increase in height in feet (round to 5 decimal places).

A brass statue has an initial length of \(3\text{ ft}\) and is subjected to a temperature change (\(\Delta T\)) of (1) \(\text{ C}^\circ\) (from an initial temperature of \(20^\circ\text{C}\) to a final temperature of \(100^\circ\text{C}\)).

Using the linear thermal expansion formula \(\Delta l = \alpha \cdot l \cdot \Delta T\) (where the coefficient of linear expansion for brass is \(\alpha = 0.000018\text{ C}^{\circ-1}\)), calculate the total change in length (\(\Delta l\)):

\(\Delta l = 0.000018 \cdot 3\text{ ft} \cdot\) 1($) = 2($) \(\text{ ft}\)

Match each material on the left with its thermal coefficient of linear expansion on the right.

Match each material on the left with its thermal coefficient of linear expansion on the right.

Sort each material by whether it has a high or low coefficient of expansion (threshold: 0.000015 per C°)

Sort each material by whether it has a high or low coefficient of expansion (threshold: 0.000015 per C°)