THERMAL EFFECTS

Moving particles
Properties of solids,liquids and gases.

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ENERGY OF PARTICLES

● The particles in solid,liquid and gases have kinetic energy because they are moving.

● They also have potential energy because their motion keeps them separated and
opposes the bonds trying to pull them together.
● The particles in gases have the most potential energy because they are furthest
apart.

● The total kinetic and potential energies of all the atoms or molecules in a material is
called its internal energy. The hotter a material is ,the faster its particles move ,and
the more internal energy ,while the cold one heats up and gains internal energy.The
energy transferred is known as heat.
● The term Thermal energy is often used for both internal energy and heat. .

Expanding solids and liquids

Thermal expansion is the tendency of matter to change its shape, area,

and volume in response to a change in temperature.
When a substance is heated, the kinetic energy of its molecules increases. Thus, the
molecules begin vibrating/moving more and usually maintain a greater average
separation.

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When something is being cooled, it is losing heat energy- You can think of it as the atoms
getting less and less excited. Therefore, the atoms start moving slower and closer as they
lose heat energy.
Thermal contraction is therefore the length/size/volume of a substance decreasing as it gets
cooled. It is the opposite of thermal expansion, in which those properties increase as a
substance gains heat.

Expansion of solids.
Ex 01

Gaps are left at the end bridges to allow for expansion.One end of the bridge is
often supported on rollers so that movement can take place

Ex 02
Rails expand and contract due to thermal expansion and contraction of materials.
Rails expands when temperature increases and contracts when temperature decreases.
Rails are made from Steel which has the physical property of expansion and contraction
during temperature variations.
If a gap between rails are not kept, the rails will expand and slide over each other.Then the
rails will be crooked as shown in the picture.

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Ex 03
In bimetal strip given below ,thin stripes of two different metals are bonded together.When
heated,one metal expands more than the other;which makes the bimetal strip bend.

Ex 04
Bimetal Thermostat

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When the temperature rises,the bimetal strip bends,the contacts separate,and the current
to the heater is cut off .
When the temperature falls,the bimetal strip straightens and the current is switched on
again.In this way ,an approximately steady temperature is maintained.

EXPANSION OF LIQUIDS.

When hot water cools,it contracts. However,when water freezes it expands as it turns into
ice.The force of the expansion can burst water pipes and split rocks with rainwater trapped
in them.

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Water expands on freezing for the following reason.In liquid water,the particles (water
molecules)are close together.But in ice ,the molecules link up in a very open structure that
actually takes up more space than in the liquid.
Ice has a lower density than liquid water -in other words,each kilogram has a greater
volume.Because of its lower density,ice floats on water.When liquid water is cooled,the
molecules start forming into an open structure at 4 oC,just before freezing point is
reached.As a result,water expands very slightly as it is cooled from 4 oC to 0 oC.It takes up
least space,and therefore has its maximum density ,at 4 oC.

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