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In solids, the particles vibrate harder and faster, creating more space
between the particles, causing them to expand. This is most visible in
metals. This process is thermal expansion.
In gases, particles move faster as they are heated. If they are heated under
constant pressure, the gas particles collide harder with the container
surfaces, forcing them out, and allowing the gas to expand. This can be
seen when warming the gas in a gas syringe.
Note that the cooling down of substances tends to have the opposite effect
– the particles lose kinetic energy, come closer together, and thus contract.
Expansion joints – these are found on most large bridges. They look like two
metal combs, their teeth interlocking, and have small gaps between each
other. When heat causes the bridge to expand, the two sides of the
expansion joint move towards each other. As the temperature cools, they
gradually retract. This gives the bridge room for expansion and contraction,
preventing the cracking/ deformation of the bridge. The expansion joints
have interlocking ‘teeth’ because this minimizes the bump that
motorcyclists feel as they ride over it.
Bimetallic strips in thermostats. This requires a little more explanation, so
I’ve written a paragraph about it below.
Thermostats are devices used to adjust the temperature of a heating or
cooling system.
In order to understand how they work, you’ll need to know a little about
expansion coefficients.
For wires, as the cross-sectional area is often tiny and thus negligible, we
don’t have to concern ourselves with calculating the area or volume change
– we can just measure the change in length of the wire per unit
temperature change. This value would be the coefficient of linear
expansion,
When you adjust the temperature on a thermostat, you’re adjusting how far
the bimetal strip has to bend/ straighten out to close the gap.
In building construction, an
expansion joint is a mid-structure
separation designed to relieve
stress on building materials caused
by building movement induced by
thermal expansion
Another example of thermal expansion
on the part of a liquid can be found inside
the car's radiator. If the radiator is
"topped off" with coolant on a cold day,
an increase in temperature could very
well cause the coolant to expand until it
overflows. In the past, this produced a
problem for car owners, because car
engines released the excess volume of
coolant onto the ground, requiring
periodic replacement of the fluid.
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everyday example of thermal
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expansion can be seen in the kitchen.
Expansion-Real-life-
Almost everyone has had the experience
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of trying unsuccessfully to budge a tight
metal lid on a glass container, and after
running hot water over the lid, finding that
it gives way and opens at last. The
reason for this is that the high-
temperature water causes the metal lid to
expand. On the other hand, glass—as
noted earlier—has a low coefficient of
Another example of thermal expansion in expansion. Otherwise, it would expand
a solid is the sagging of electrical power with the lid, which would defeat the
lines on a hot day. This happens purpose of running hot water over it.
because heat causes them to expand,
and, thus, there is a greater length of Read
power line extending from pole to pole more: http://www.scienceclarified.com/ev
than under lower temperature conditions. eryday/Real-Life-Physics-Vol-2/Thermal-
It is highly unlikely, of course, that the Expansion-Real-life-
heat of summer could be so great as to applications.html#ixzz5nDTC3vEN
pose a danger of power lines breaking;
on the other hand, heat can create a Read
serious threat with regard to larger more: http://www.scienceclarified.com/ev
structures. eryday/Real-Life-Physics-Vol-2/Thermal-
Expansion-Real-life-
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Bimetallic Strip
When this bimetallic strip is heated, the brass expands more than
the steel and the strip curves with the brass on the outside. If the
strip is cooled, it curves with the steel on the outside.
As the temperature increases, the gas molecules gain kinetic energy and
move faster. This causes them to collide with the container surfaces
harder, forcing the surfaces outwards and allowing the gas to expand.
In formula form,
PV/T = k;
And k is a constant.
Matter in general expands when heated. This can be explained using the molecular model of matter.
When a solid is heated, its molecules vibrate faster about their fixed positions. As a result of this, the molecules
move slightly further apart than when they are cold. The cumulative effect of all the molecules result in the
volume expansion of the solid.
SOLID EXPANSION
The expansion of a solid when heated is small. A metre rule may expands by 1 – 2 mm when heated. Through
small, this expansion can create a very large force if it is restrained. Railway tracks expand during a hot day. If
the tracks are not designed for the expansion, the entire track may bend out of shape during expansion.
However, the expansion of solid may also be put into good use. Two pieces of different metals with different
expansion coefficients may be bound together. When temperature changes, the two metals expands differently.
This causes the strip to bend according to the temperature. This bimetallic strip may be used to open and close
an electric circuit to control temperature.
LIQUID EXPANSION
Liquid also expands for the same reason. However, since liquid particles are usually less tightly bound to each
other molecules, they generally move further than solid particles when heated. Hence, liquid expands more than
solid if the temperature rise is the same. This expansion of liquid may be used in a liquid-in-glass thermometer.
The volume increase of alcohol or mercury may be calibrated to provide a temperature reading since the
expansion is almost directly proportional to the temperature rise.
GAS EXPANSION
Gases behave differently from solids and liquids. Gas molecules are far apart and weakly attracted to each other.
Heat causes the molecules to move faster and the volume increases much more than solids and liquids.
However, gas do not have to expands when heated. If the gas is confined to a fixed volume, the increase
in temperature may cause the pressure to increase if the volume of kept constant. If the gas is allowed to
expand, the pressure may be kept constant. We may use the kinetic model to explain this. When a gas is heated,
the molecules move faster. The higher speed
of molecules result in a higher frequency of collision with the container walls. These collisions are also harder as
the molecules are faster. Together, these cause the pressure to increase. As the pressure is higher than original
value, the gas will push the piston out. This result in a volume increase. As the volume is now larger, the
frequency of collisions with the container walls is less and the pressure decrease. The volume stops expanding
when the internal pressure equals to the original external pressure. This is expansion of gas under constant
pressure.