Question

What is thermal expansion? How can you prove that L=L° (1+is not equal to ∆T)?

Answer 1

Thermal expansion refers to the tendency of matter, such as solids, liquids, and gases, to change in size, volume, or shape in response to changes in temperature. When a substance is heated, its particles gain kinetic energy and start vibrating more rapidly, causing them to occupy more space. This increase in volume or size due to temperature change is known as thermal expansion.

To prove that $L=L_0(1+\alpha \Delta T)$ is not equal to $\Delta T$, where $L$ is the final length, $L_0$ is the initial length, $\alpha$ is the coefficient of linear expansion, and $\Delta T$ is the change in temperature, we can perform a simple experiment.

Consider a solid rod with an initial length $L_0$ at an initial temperature $T_0$. We heat the rod by increasing its temperature to $T_0+\Delta T$. If the equation $L=L_0(1+\alpha \Delta T)$ holds true, the change in length $\Delta L$ should be equal to $\alpha <span\; class=$