E301: LINEAR EXPANSION

MONDEJAR, Calvin Paulo A.

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this experiment is to find out the
metal rods coefficient of linear expansion and
also to find out the circumstances that affect
thermal expansions change in length. The
significance of these objectives is that finding out
the metal rods coefficient of linear expansion
from the performed experiment leads the way to
find out the percentage difference between the
experimental and actual value of the aluminum
and copper tubes and the significance of finding
out the circumstances that affect thermal
expansions change in length makes an individual
more knowledgeable regarding it that can be
applied in future endeavors. The experiment has
been performed for it is the way to accumulate
data, results, and findings from the performed
experiment. The experiment sought for a
coefficient of linear expansion result from the
data and observations gathered. Likewise, the
experiment measured length of the aluminum
and copper tube at the experiments initial part,
the increase in length of the respective tubes,
and the Thermistors resistance at the start and
at the experiments terminal part. The motivation
of the experiment was to influence, encourage,
and communicate with fellow individuals in order
to attain a better outcome of the experiment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Materials for the experiment was used to
accumulate data needed like the linear expansion
coefficients experimental value. The materials for
the experiment were: a piece of aluminum metal
tube as a sample tube of Trial 1, a piece of
copper metal tube as a sample tube of Trial 2, a
digital
multi-tester
for
calculating
the
Thermistors Resistance at initial and terminal
temperature, a set of expansion base with builtin gauge and thermistor that serves as a
supporter for the metal tubes, a piece of foam
insulator as an absorber for the condensed liquid,
a piece of rubber tubing to serve as a passage of
the gas, a meter stick utilized for measuring the
length of aluminum and copper tubes in
millimeters, and a steam generator that does a
water to gas conversion.
Materials were set-up right before the start of the
experiment, making sure that the supporter of
the tubes at the ends were locked in to evade the
movement of each tube during the experiment,
making sure that the rubber tubing was
connected from the steam generator to one end
of the tube, and making sure that the ohmmeter
leads were plugged in the expansion bases
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center where
located.

the

thermistor

connector

was
Since each metal tubes initial length were
recorded, each metal tubes initial resistance at
initial temperature in kilo ohms was determined
through the utilization of the digital multi-tester,
a device used to find out the amount of
resistance in initial and final temperature. The
initial resistance of aluminum and copper tube
was found out by the leads of the multi-tester
plugged in the expansion bases center. Likewise,
the resistances initial amount of each metal tube
was converted to initial temperature.

MATERIALS. The photo demonstrates the set-up of materials

utilized in the experiment.

In the initial part of the experiment, the lengths

of aluminum and copper tubes in an initial state
(Lo) were measured. To measure each tube, a
meter stick was used to calculate the initial
distance Lo from angle brackets inner part of one
end to another inner edge of the tube in the
other end in millimeters. After the metal tubes
were measured in millimeters, the initial lengths
of the metal tubes were accumulated and
recorded in the Data designated as Lo under the
Trial 1 of Aluminum tube and Trial 2 of Copper
tube.

ALUMINUMS INITIAL LENGTH. This photo demonstrates

how the initial length of Aluminum was measured through the
use of meter stick.

INITIAL
RESISTANCE
AND
TEMPERATURE
OF
ALUMINUM AND COPPER. These photos show the
calculated initial amounts of resistance and temperature of
the aluminum and copper tube at room temperature.

After the calculation of the Thermistors initial

resistance, the steam generator was turned on
convert the water into steam where the
Aluminum tube was used. As the water turned
into steam, the gauge moved and the increase in
length in millimeters was found out due to the
movement of the gauge. And there, the increase
in length of the Aluminum and Copper tube was
calculated.

DIAL GAUGE MOVEMENT. The gauge movement from each

metal tube is the increase in length of each metal tube.

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Initial
Temperature

28 C

27 C

1.15 mm

0.87 mm

9.61 k

10.24 k

83 C

82 C

55 C

55 C

2.9785x10-5 /C

2.2469x10-5/C

23.80x10-6 /C

16.80x10-6 /C

25.15%

33.74%

Change in
Length of
Tube
FINAL RESISTANCE. The final resistance of Aluminum (left)
and Copper (right) was recorded during the movement of the
dial gauge.

In the aftermath of the experiment, the final

resistance of each metal tube was converted to
its final temperature. The final temperature of
each metal tube was used to subtract their initial
temperature as part of the change in
temperature. After the computation of the
change in temperature, the linear expansions
experimental coefficient was solved by using the
formula written in the book given the initial
length, the increase in length, and the change in
temperature of each metal tube. When the linear
expansions experiment coefficient was found out,
the percentage error of each metal tube was
determined through the formula subtracting the
actual value to the experimental value divided by
the actual value multiply by 100 percent.

Resistance of
Thermistor
at Final
Temperature
Final
Temperature
of the Tube
Change in
Temperature
of the Tube
Experimental
Coefficient of
Linear
Expansion
Actual
Coefficient of
Linear
Expansion

Percentage
of Error
OBSERVATIONS AND RESULTS
The following is the data gathered from the
experiment:
Trial / Type
of Tube
Initial
Length of
Tube
Initial
Resistance of
Thermistor
at Room
Temperature

Trial 1.
Aluminum
Tube

Trial 2.
Copper Tube

702 mm

704 mm

86.7 k

92.8 k

Sample Computation: Trial 1. Aluminum Tube

T =T hot T rm
T =83 28 =55 C

experimental=

%error=

L
1.15 mm
5
=
=2.9785 10
Lo T 702 mm (55 C )

actual experimental
100
actual
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%error=

23.80 10 2.9785 10
6
23.80 10

100

%error=25.15
The results show the recorded initial length of
Aluminum and Copper metal tubes measured by
the use of meter stick in millimeters. Next is the
Thermistors
initial
resistance
at
room
temperature which is measured in kilo ohms (k)
and calculated by the use of digital multi-tester.
By knowing the initial resistance, initial
temperature was solved by the use of resistancetemperature conversion provided in the above of
expansion base apparatus.
The increase in length (L) and Thermistors
resistance at final temperature was found out
from the experiment performed. The increase in
length is equal to the amount of the dial gauges
movement which 1 rotation of dial gauge is the
same as 1 millimeter of increase in length.
Thermistors resistance at final temperature was
determined when the increase of length was
known. By knowing the final resistance, final
temperature of each metal tube was solved using
the resistance-temperature conversion and final
temperature was used in calculating the change
in temperature of each tube. Change in
temperature can be solved by subtracting the
final temperature of Aluminum/Copper metal
tube
to
the
initial
temperature
of
Aluminum/Copper tube at room temperature (

T =T hot T rm ). After knowing the change in

temperature in

C , change in temperature

was substituted in the equation of Linear

expansion of any metal tube in order to find out
the Linear expansions experimental coefficient (

experimental=

L
Lo T ).

Moreover,

the

Linear

expansions experimental coefficient can be

substituted in the equation of percentage error
listed above by an absolute value of subtracting

the of linear expansions actual coefficient to its

experimental
coefficient
over
the
actual
coefficient value multiply by 100 percent.
DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION
The linear expansion experiment was conducted
as an application of the linear expansion lesson
under thermal expansion where objects undergo
an increase and decrease of length, volume and
area due to heat. The experiment was all about
the linear expansion in which there is a directly
relationship between the objects change length
to the amount of heat applied in the object.
Should objects length expand, then heat applied
in the object goes up and should the objects
length compresses, then heat in the object goes
down. The experiments results were solved
through experimental procedures conducted in
order to make a comparison with the actual
values. The
experiment focuses on the
experimental coefficient of Aluminum and Copper
metal tubes in which the linear expansion
coefficient is a constant subscript that has a
directly relationship with the change in length.
The linear expansion is the fraction of objects
change in length over the product of the objects
initial length and the objects change in
temperature. The experimental coefficient of
each metal tube was determined for the objects
initial length, its change in temperature, and its
increase in temperature can be found using the
experimental procedures given. The result of the
experiment which was the Aluminum and Copper
objects experimental linear expansion coefficient
made a comparison with the actual values of
Aluminum
and
Copper
in
which
their
experimental values were larger than their actual
value. It turned out to have a high percentage
error between the actual and experimental which
was a prcised result for the place conducted for
the experiment was at room temperature that
affected the results of the experiment. It would
have been a better outcome for the experiment
should the place conducted for the experiment
would be in a warm or in a normal typical
temperature place.

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Based on the results from the data gathered in

the experiment, I therefore conclude that the
metal rods experimental linear expansion
coefficient was determined through the given
experimental procedures and the formula given
in the experiment conducted. In the experimental
procedures given, a change in temperature (

should be in a warm place for a better outcome in

the results gathered from the experiment and a
better outcome in undertaking the experimental
procedures.

T ), an objects initial length ( Lo ), and

This experiment would not have been conducted

without the efforts of the following significant
people. First and foremost, I would like to thank
Mapua Institute of Technology for creating
Physics Lab courses that are beneficial to us to
understand furthermore the topics in Physics
lecture, the Physics department for providing us
laboratory apparatuses, laboratory manuals and
air-conditioned laboratory rooms that really
satisfy me and the physics students needs. I
would also like to thank the good and kind
General Physics 3 Laboratory professor, Professor
Ricardo de Leon for guiding us in the right path of
doing the experimental procedures for my
groups first experiment likewise thanking him for
teaching me and his other students the lesson
about Linear expansion in which the lesson he
taught made me more knowledgeable and easier
to understand about Linear expansion. Lastly, I
would like to thank my group mates for working
together in order to attain our goal of better
outcome in the experiment by influencing and
motivating ourselves that we could get a good
and satisfying result in the experiment.

the objects increase in length (

L ) were

determined,
and
the
experimental
linear
expansion coefficient was determined by the
formula,

experimental=

L
Lo T .

Based on the results from the gathered data, I

also conclude that the circumstances or the
factors that affected the thermal expansions
length change are the temperature change (

T )

consisted

of

the

objects

final

temperature and the objects initial temperature,

the objects constant linear expansion coefficient
(

) which is the ratio between the objects

increase in length and the product of the objects

initial length and temperature change, and the
objects initial length (

Lo ) at the start in

millimeters. The product of these three factors

has the same value as the value of the objects
increase or decrease in length (

L ). These

three
factors
that
affected
the
thermal
expansions length change have a directly
relationship with the length change in which
should the value of these three factors go up, the
length change rises or expand, and should the
value these three factors go down, the length
change falls or compresses.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT & REFERENCE

Below are the following references I used for my

further
understanding
regarding
the
first
experiment, linear expansion:
a. http://www.slideshare.net/sairuus/therma
l-expansion-10462821 (Discussion and
Conclusion)
b. Walker, J., Halliday, D., & Rensick, R.
(2014). Principles of Physics Tenth edition.
Singapore: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.,
2014

Overall, the experiment results are prcised and

correct even at a room temperature but still there
is a room for improvement in this experiment like
the place of the experiment to be conducted as it
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