Thermal Expansion free essay sample

The different temperature coefficient is obtained through the use of an apparatus for measuring the linear expansion. The PASCO Thermal Expansion Apparatus was use to measure the thermal expansion to get the temperature coefficient. All metals which are used in the experiment all expanded due to the rising of the temperature. The temperature coefficient obtained from experiment is close to the actual or accepted temperature coefficient. Introduction The coefficient of thermal expansion (? ) is defined as the fractional increase in the length per unit rise in temperature. It is a material property that is indicative of the extent to which a material expands upon heating. Different substances expand by different amounts. Over small temperature ranges, the thermal expansion of uniform linear objects is proportional to temperature change.Thermal expansion finds useful application in bimetallic strips for the construction of thermometers but can generate detrimental internal stress when a structural part is heated and kept at constant length. We will write a custom essay sample on Thermal Expansion or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Theory Most materials expand when heated through a temperature range that does not change in phase. The added heat increases the vibration of the atoms in the material which increases the separation of atoms. Suppose an object of length L undergoes a temperature change of magnitude ? T. If ? T is reasonably small, the change in length, ?Place the foam insulator over the thermistor lug. Then, plug the leads of the ohmmeter into the banana plug connector labelled thermistor in the center of the expansion base. Measure the initial ohmmeter reading and record. Use a tubing to attach the steam generator to the end of the copper tube, attach it to the farthest end from the dial gauge. Place a container under the other end of the tube to catch the draining water. Turn the outer casing of the dial gauge to align the zero point on the scale. Turn on the steam generator. Then, watch the dial gauge and the ohmmeter.