THERMAL EXPANSION

Sample Problems:

1. A copper bar is 80 cm long at 15 deg C. What is the increase in

length when it is heated to 35 deg C? The linear coefficient of
copper is 1.7 x 10^-5 deg C^-1.
2. Compute the increase in length of 50 m of copper wire when its
temperature changes from 12 deg C to 32 deg C.
3. A rod 3 m long is found to have expanded 0.091 cm in length after
a temperature rise of 60 deg C. What is the linear coefficient of
the rod?
4. Calculate the increase in volume of 100 cm^3 of mercury when its
temperature changes from 10 deg C to 35 deg C. The volume
coefficient of expansion of mercury is 0.00018 deg C^-1.
5. Determine the change in volume of a block of cast iron 5 cm x 10
cm x 6 cm, when the temperature changes from 15 deg C to 47 deg C.
The coefficient of linear expansion of cast iron is 0.000010 deg
C^-1.
6. At 15 deg C, a bare wheel has a diameter of 30 cm, and the inside
diameter of a steel rim is 29.93 cm. To what temperature must the
rim be heated so as to slip over the wheel? For this type of steel,
the linear coefficient of expansion is 1.1 x 10^-5 deg C^-1
7. The density of mercury at exactly 0 deg C is 13600 kg/m^3, and its
volume expansion coefficient is 1.82 x 10^-4 deg C^-1. Calculate
the density of mercury at 50 deg C.
8. A glass flask is filled to the mark with 50 cm^3 of mercury at 18
deg C. If the flask and its contents are heated to 38 deg C, how
much mercury will be above the mark? The linear coefficient of
expansion of glass is 9 x 10^-6 and the volume coefficient of
expansion for mercury is 182 x 10^-6.
9. At 20 deg C a steel ball (1.1 x 10^-5) has a diameter of 0.9 cm,
while the diameter of a hole in an aluminum plate (2.2 x 10^-5) is
0.899 cm. At what temperature will the ball just pass through the
hole?
10. A steel tape is calibrated at 20 deg C. On a cold day when the
temperature is -15 deg C, what will be the percent error in the tape?
For steel, the coefficient of linear expansion is 1.1 x 10^-5.