Expansion Practice Problems

Coefficients of Thermal Expansion

SUBSTANCE COEFFICIENT OF COEFFICIENT OF
LINEAR EXPANSION VOLUME EXPANSION
(X10-6 °C -1) (X10-6 °C -1)
Aluminum 24
Brass 19
Concrete 10-14
Copper 17
Glass (window) 9.0
Glass (Pyrex) 3.3
Granite 8.3
Ice 50
Lead 27
Steel or iron 12
Ethyl alcohol 1100
Gasoline 950
Mercury 182
Water 210
Antifreeze 108
Air & most gases 3400

1. A brass rod is .500 m long at 20.0°C. What is the length of the rod if it is heated
to 50.0°C?
2. A steel beam 12.0m sits next to a concrete wall when the temperature is 20.0°C.
A gap must be left between the beam and the concrete wall for expansion
purposes. If the temperature rises to 45.0°C, how large must the gap be if the
steel beam just touches the concrete wall?
3. There are 500 m3 of air in a shop at 20.°C. What is the difference in volume if the
temperature is 0°C?
4. An metal rod .50 m is heated from 15°C to 95°C. The length of the rod increases
by 0.96 mm. What is the coefficient of expansion for the rod?

Answers
1. 2.85 x 10-4 m 2. 3.60 x 10-3 m 3. 34 m3 4. 2.4 x 10-5 ºC-1