PHYSICS 3

FIS 0124/0334
Chapter 1
Temperature and Heat

Chapter 1

Concept of Thermal Expansion (For Solid and Liquid)

Linear Expansion
Volume Expansion
Coefficient of Expansion
Thermal Expansion of Water

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to do the
following:
Understand the concept of thermal expansion.
Expresses the relationship of linear expansion (as well
as volume expansion) in an equation in term of relative
coefficient of expansion.
Calculate the amount of expansion using derived
equation.
Explain the unusual behaviour of thermal expansion for
water.

Introduction

How to open this bottle without a bottle opener?

Introduction
By scissors?

By spoon?

Introduction By Thermal Expansion Method

By running the flame of lighter

around the cap of bottle.
By running hot water over the
cap of bottle.
This will make opening easier
than just simply trying to open
the lid off.
This is due to thermal
expansion effect of metal lid
after heat added.

Thermal Expansion

Most materials expands when their temperature increase

Example: Rising temperature make the mercury expands in a laboratory

thermometer as well as bend of bimetallic strips in bimetallic thermometer.

Expansion due to variation in temperature usually occurs in three

forms;

Linear Expansion causes increase in length (for solid)

Area Expansion causes increase in surface area (for solid)
Volume Expansion causes increase in volume (for solid and liquid)

Linear Expansion

A rod of material has length, L at initial temperature, T. After the

temperature changes by T, the length changes by L.
L
T

L
T

T + T

2L

T + T
2L

T + 2T

L T
L LoT
L Lo Lo (T To )

2L

T + T

L Lo
where is the coefficient of linear expansion

Area Expansion & Volume Expansion

Same case for surface area and volume of the object.

L
L

As temperature increase, the length

of each side increases to

L Lo LoT
Ao Lo 2
A L2
( Lo LoT )( Lo LoT )
Lo 2 2Lo 2 T 2 Lo 2 (T ) 2
Lo 2 2Lo 2 T Ao 2AoT
A A Ao AoT

where is the coefficient of area expansion

= 2

Comparison of Linear, Area and Volume

Expansion

Thermal Expansion

Equation

Coefficient of
Expansion

Linear

L LoT

Area

A AoT

Volume

V VoT

Average Coefficients of Expansion for Some

Materials Near Room Temperature

Example 1 - How Thermal Expansion Affects

The Choice of Glassware

If hot liquid is poured into a cold container made of ordinary glass,

the container may well break due to thermal stress.
(The inside surface of the glass becomes hot and expands while the outside surface is at room
temperature, and the ordinary glass may not withstand the difference in expansion)

But, what about if now hot liquid is poured into container made of
Pyrex glass?
Pyrex glass has coefficient of linear expansion of about one-third
that of ordinary glass, so the thermal stress are relatively smaller.

The expansion and contraction of materials due to changes in temperature create stresses
and strains, which sometimes sufficient to cause fracturing.

Example 2 - The Expansion of Hole

The figure shows eight square tiles that are arranged to form a square pattern
with a hold in the center. If the tiles are heated, what happens to the size of
the hole?
The thermal expansion of the hole and the surrounding material is analogous
to a photographic enlargement, in both situations everything is enlarged,
including holes.
Example: Think of atoms as outlining a cubical hole. When the object
expands, the atoms move apart and the hole increases in size.

Question 1

Why would silver and brass probably not be a good

choice of metals for bimetallic strip application? (leaving
aside the cost for both metals). Given that

silver 18 10 6 K 1
Brass 19 10 6 K 1

Question 2

One way to loosen the metal lid on a glass jar is to run it

under hot water. How does that work?
(Hint: Compare the thermal expansion coefficient for
both metal lid and glass jar)

Question 3 Linear Expansion

A steel railroad track has a length of 30.000m when the

temperature is 0C. What is its length on a hot day when
the temperature is 40C? Given that

steel 1110 6 (C ) 1

Question 4 Volume Expansion

A hollow copper cylinder is filled to the brim with water at

20.0C. If the water and the container are heated to a
temperature of 91C, what is the amount of water that
spills over the top of the container? Given that
Cu 48 10 6 (C ) 1
H 2O 207 10 6 (C ) 1

Unusual Thermal Expansion of Water

Object will expand with increasing temperature.

But, water is an exception to this rule over small
temperature range.

Unusual Thermal Expansion of Water

When ice at about -4C is heated, it expands slightly up to 0C.

(At 0C, phase transition occurs from ice to water)
When this water is further heated, it contracts from 0C to 4C,
which is unusual.
Above 4C, it expands, behaving like other liquids.
The density is the mass per unit of volume of a substance, so when
volume changes, density changes as well.
Since water contracts from 0C to 4C, its volume decreases and
the density increases.
Water has the minimum volume and maximum density at 4C.

Question 5

How do fish survive in icy water?

Unusual Thermal Expansion of Water

This unusual behavior of water has an important effect
on plant and animal life in lakes.

A lake cools from the surface down;

Above 4C, the cooled water at the surface sinks to the bottom
because of its greater density.
But when the surface temperature drops below 4C, the water near
the surface is less dense than the warmer water below.
Thus, the downward flow stops and the water near the surface
remain colder than the bottom, eventually freezes to become ice.
The ice continues to build up on surface while water near bottom
remains at 4C.
The ice formation turns to be an insulating layer that prevent heat
lost from underneath, offer thermal protection for marine life.

References
[1] Young, H., and Freedman, R. (2014). Sears and Zemanskys university physics with modern
physics: Technology update (13th ed., Pearson new international ed.). Harlow, Essex: Pearson
Education.
[2] Serway, R., and Vuille, C. (2007). Essentials of college physics (International student ed.).
Belmont, Calif.: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
[3] Cengel, Y. (1997). Introduction to thermodynamics and heat transfer (International ed.). New
York: McGraw-Hill.
[4] Giambattista, A., Richardson, B., and Richardson, R. (2007). College physics (2nd ed.). New
York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.