Physics

Physics

Problem

A brass rod is 1.50 m long at 20 °C. Its coefficient of linear expansion is 1.9×10−5 K−11.9\times10^{-5}\,\text{K}^{-1}. The rod is heated to 100 °C. a. (i) Calculate the increase in length of the rod. b. (ii) Determine the percentage increase in its length, correct to three significant figures.
Intuitive explanation

Thermal expansion is about how materials grow when heated—the key is that length change depends linearly on the temperature change and a material-specific property called the coefficient of linear expansion. You'll use the formula ΔL=αL0ΔT\Delta L = \alpha L_0 \Delta T to find how much longer the rod becomes, where α\alpha is the coefficient, L0L_0 is the original length, and ΔT\Delta T is the temperature increase.

Intuitive explanation

Thermal expansion is about how materials grow when heated—the key is that length change depends linearly on the temperature change and a material-specific property called the coefficient of linear expansion. You'll use the formula ΔL=αL0ΔT\Delta L = \alpha L_0 \Delta T to find how much longer the rod becomes, where α\alpha is the coefficient, L0L_0 is the original length, and ΔT\Delta T is the temperature increase.

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