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Thermal expansion is the change in the size of an object or structure due to the increase in atomic bond lengths at higher temperatures. That's what it comes down to. A steel railroad rail is set with a small gap between it and the next rail so linear expansion won't cause the rails to push against each other and the track to buckle. Large skyscrapers have their exterior skins engineered so that thermal expansion won't cause the aluminum, steel or other trim to buckle and pull away from the structure. Keep in mind that this is a 3D problem and not just a 2-dimensional one (though in the case of the rails, the third dimension isn't nearly as important. We are talking about a thermodynamic property of materials. The coefficient of thermal expansion is a measure of that change in length or volume of a material as a function of temperature. It's just that simple. As objects get warmer, their size increases by "x" amount. And this may not be linear, too. At higher temperatures, there may not be as much of an increase in the "size" of an object for another identical change in temperature. There are some measurements and some calculations that must be made to come up with the numbers. More information can be found by using the link below to the Wikipedia article on the coefficient of thermal expansion.
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What is the relation between the coefficient of linear and superficial and volume expansion respectively?
The coefficient of linear expansion (α) is one-third of the coefficient of superficial expansion (β), and the coefficient of superficial expansion is one-third of the coefficient of volume expansion (γ). This relationship follows from the dimensional analysis of the expansion coefficients in the respective directions.
What is coefficient of superficial expansion?
The coefficient of superficial expansion refers to the ratio of change in area to an increase in its temperature. It measures the expansion of a Laminar surface.
What is meant by the cofficient of linear and superficial expansion?
The coefficient of linear expansion measures how much a material expands in length when heated, while the coefficient of superficial expansion measures how much a material expands in area when heated. Both coefficients are used to quantify how materials respond to changes in temperature.
What is superficial expansion?
Superficial expansion is the increase in surface area of 1 meter square area of a solid for rise of temperature, 1kelvin is called the coefficient of surface expansion of material of that solid.
A material has a coefficient of volume expansion of 60×10^-6/degree celsius. What is its coefficient of expansion?
The coefficient of volume expansion is the triple of the linear expansion coefficient. So with a volume expansion coefficient of 60×10^-6/°C, the linear expansion coefficient would be 20×10^-6/°C.
What is the relation between the coefficient of linear and superficial and volume expansion respectively?
The coefficient of linear expansion (α) is one-third of the coefficient of superficial expansion (β), and the coefficient of superficial expansion is one-third of the coefficient of volume expansion (γ). This relationship follows from the dimensional analysis of the expansion coefficients in the respective directions.
What is coefficient of superficial expansion?
The coefficient of superficial expansion refers to the ratio of change in area to an increase in its temperature. It measures the expansion of a Laminar surface.
What is meant by the cofficient of linear and superficial expansion?
The coefficient of linear expansion measures how much a material expands in length when heated, while the coefficient of superficial expansion measures how much a material expands in area when heated. Both coefficients are used to quantify how materials respond to changes in temperature.
What is superficial expansion?
Superficial expansion is the increase in surface area of 1 meter square area of a solid for rise of temperature, 1kelvin is called the coefficient of surface expansion of material of that solid.
A material has a coefficient of volume expansion of 60×10^-6/degree celsius. What is its coefficient of expansion?
The coefficient of volume expansion is the triple of the linear expansion coefficient. So with a volume expansion coefficient of 60×10^-6/°C, the linear expansion coefficient would be 20×10^-6/°C.
What is the cubical coefficient of thermal expansion for metals?
Since most metals are isotropic, the cubical coefficient of expansion is three times the linear coefficient of expansion. The linear coefficient of expansion is obtained from measurement and tables for the specific material which are readily available.
Why liquids have two coefficient of expansion?
Liquids have two coefficients of expansion because they can expand in both volume (volume coefficient of expansion) and in area (area coefficient of expansion) when heated. The volume coefficient of expansion relates to changes in the volume of the liquid, while the area coefficient of expansion relates to changes in the surface area.
What material has the highest coefficient of thermal expansion?
The material with the highest coefficient of thermal expansion is typically graphite.
What is the coefficient of thermal expansion of air?
The coefficient of thermal expansion of air is approximately 0.00367 per degree Celsius.
What is the relationship of coefficient linear expansion to actual expansion?
The coefficient of linear expansion is a constant value that quantifies how much a material expands per degree Celsius increase in temperature. The actual expansion of an object can be calculated by multiplying the coefficient of linear expansion by the original length of the object and the temperature change.
What is the coefficient of expansion of brass?
.000019
What is a binomial coefficient?
A binomial coefficient is a coefficient of any of the terms in the expansion of the binomial (x+y)^n.
