How much the lengths of various substances change with | StudySoup

Textbook Solutions for Conceptual Physics

Chapter 15 Problem 44TAR

Question

How much the lengths of various substances change with temperature changes is given by their coefficients of linear expansion, \(\alpha\). The greater the value of \(\alpha\), the greater the change in length for a given change in temperature. Three kinds of metal wires, A, B, and C, are stretched between distant telephone poles. From greatest to least, rank the wires in how much they’ll sag on a hot summer day.

a. Copper, \(\alpha=17 \times 10^{-6} /{ }^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\)

b. Aluminum, \(\alpha=24 \times 10^{-6 /{ }^{\circ} \mathrm{C}}\)

c. Steel, \(\alpha=11 \times 10^{-6} /{ }^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\)

Solution

Step 1 of 2

The expression for the change in length due to the change in the temperature is:

Here,  is the coefficient of thermal linear expansion,  is the initial length, and  is the change in the temperature.

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Title Conceptual Physics 12 
Author Paul G. Hewitt
ISBN 9780321909107

How much the lengths of various substances change with

Chapter 15 textbook questions

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