ThermalExpansionofSolidsandLiquids

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ThermalExpansionofSolidsandLiquids
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Summary

Figure1. ThermalexpansionjointsliketheseintheAucklandHarbourBridgeinNewZealandallowbridgesto
changelengthwithoutbuckling.(credit:Ingolfson,WikimediaCommons)

Theexpansionofalcoholinathermometerisoneofmanycommonlyencounteredexamplesofthermal
expansion,thechangeinsizeorvolumeofagivenmasswithtemperature.Hotairrisesbecauseits
volumeincreases,whichcausesthehotairsdensitytobesmallerthanthedensityofsurroundingair,
causingabuoyant(upward)forceonthehotair.Thesamehappensinallliquidsandgases,driving
naturalheattransferupwardsinhomes,oceans,andweathersystems.Solidsalsoundergothermal
expansion.Railroadtracksandbridges,forexample,haveexpansionjointstoallowthemtofreelyexpand
andcontractwithtemperaturechanges.

Whatarethebasicpropertiesofthermalexpansion?First,thermalexpansionisclearlyrelatedto
temperaturechange.Thegreaterthetemperaturechange,themoreabimetallicstripwillbend.Second,it
dependsonthematerial.Inathermometer,forexample,theexpansionofalcoholismuchgreaterthan
theexpansionoftheglasscontainingit.

Whatistheunderlyingcauseofthermalexpansion?AsisdiscussedinKineticTheory:Atomicand
MolecularExplanationofPressureandTemperature(/contents/3fffbab55b0d4622be83eb65111f9c3e),
anincreaseintemperatureimpliesanincreaseinthekineticenergyoftheindividualatoms.Inasolid,
unlikeinagas,theatomsormoleculesarecloselypackedtogether,buttheirkineticenergy(intheform
ofsmall,rapidvibrations)pushesneighboringatomsormoleculesapartfromeachother.Thisneighbor
toneighborpushingresultsinaslightlygreaterdistance,onaverage,betweenneighbors,andaddsupto
alargersizeforthewholebody.Formostsubstancesunderordinaryconditions,thereisnopreferred
direction,andanincreaseintemperaturewillincreasethesolidssizebyacertainfractionineach
dimension.
ThermalExpansionofSolidsandLiquids
LINEARTHERMALEXPANSIONTHERMALEXPANSIONINONEDIMENSION

ThechangeinlengthLisproportionaltolengthL.Thedependenceofthermalexpansionon
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temperature,substance,andlengthissummarizedintheequation

L = LT ,

whereListhechangeinlengthL,T isthechangeintemperature,andisthecoefficient
oflinearexpansion,whichvariesslightlywithtemperature.

Tablelistsrepresentativevaluesofthecoefficientoflinearexpansion,whichmayhaveunitsof1/Cor
1/K.BecausethesizeofakelvinandadegreeCelsiusarethesame,bothandT canbeexpressedin
unitsofkelvinsordegreesCelsius.TheequationL = LT isaccurateforsmallchangesin
temperatureandcanbeusedforlargechangesintemperatureifanaveragevalueofisused.

Coefficientoflinear Coefficientofvolume
expansion expansion

(1/C) (1/C)
Material

Solids

Aluminum
6 6
25 10 75 10

Brass
6 6
19 10 56 10

Copper
6 6
17 10 51 10

Gold
6 6
14 10 42 10

IronorSteel
6 6
12 10 35 10

Invar(Nickelironalloy)
6 6
0.9 10 2.7 10

Lead
6 6
29 10 87 10

Silver
6 6
18 10 54 10
 Glass(ordinary)
ThermalExpansionofSolidsandLiquids 9 10
6
27 10
6

Glass(Pyrex)
Pageby:OpenStax 6 6
3 10 9 10

Quartz
6 6
0.4 10 1 10

Concrete,Brick
6 6
~12 10 ~36 10

Marble(average)
6 5
7 10 2.1 10

Liquids

Ether Coefficientoflinear Coefficientofvolume

6
1650 10
expansion expansion

Ethylalcohol
Material 1100 10
6

Petrol
6
950 10

Glycerin
6
500 10

Mercury
6
180 10

Water
6
210 10

Gases

Airandmostothergasesatatmospheric
6
3400 10
pressure

ThermalExpansionCoefficientsat 20C 1

Example:CalculatingLinearThermalExpansion:TheGoldenGateBridge

ThemainspanofSanFranciscosGoldenGateBridgeis1275mlongatitscoldest.Thebridgeis
exposedtotemperaturesrangingfrom15C to40C.Whatisitschangeinlengthbetweenthese
temperatures?Assumethatthebridgeismadeentirelyofsteel.

Strategy
ThermalExpansionofSolidsandLiquids
UsetheequationforlinearthermalexpansionL = LT tocalculatethechangeinlength,L.
Usethecoefficientoflinearexpansion,,forsteelfromTable,andnotethatthechangein
temperature,T ,is55C.
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Solution

PlugalloftheknownvaluesintotheequationtosolveforL.

6
12 10
L = LT = (1275 m) (55C) = 0.84 m.
( C )

Discussion

Althoughnotlargecomparedwiththelengthofthebridge,thischangeinlengthisobservable.Itis
generallyspreadovermanyexpansionjointssothattheexpansionateachjointissmall.

ThermalExpansioninTwoandThree
Dimensions
Objectsexpandinalldimensions,asillustratedinFigure.Thatis,theirareasandvolumes,aswellastheir
lengths,increasewithtemperature.Holesalsogetlargerwithtemperature.Ifyoucutaholeinametal
plate,theremainingmaterialwillexpandexactlyasitwouldiftheplugwasstillinplace.Theplugwould
getbigger,andsotheholemustgetbiggertoo.(Thinkoftheringofneighboringatomsormoleculeson
thewalloftheholeaspushingeachotherfartherapartastemperatureincreases.Obviously,theringof
neighborsmustgetslightlylarger,sotheholegetsslightlylarger).

THERMALEXPANSIONINTWODIMENSIONS

Forsmalltemperaturechanges,thechangeinareaAisgivenby

A = 2AT ,

whereAisthechangeinareaA,T isthechangeintemperature,andisthecoefficientof
linearexpansion,whichvariesslightlywithtemperature.

Figure2. Ingeneral,objectsexpandinalldirectionsastemperatureincreases.Inthesedrawings,theoriginal
boundariesoftheobjectsareshownwithsolidlines,andtheexpandedboundarieswithdashedlines.(a)Area
increasesbecausebothlengthandwidthincrease.Theareaofacircularplugalsoincreases.(b)Iftheplugis
removed,theholeitleavesbecomeslargerwithincreasingtemperature,justasiftheexpandingplugwerestill
inplace.(c)Volumealsoincreases,becauseallthreedimensionsincrease.
 inplace.(c)Volumealsoincreases,becauseallthreedimensionsincrease.
ThermalExpansionofSolidsandLiquids

Pageby:OpenStax
THERMALEXPANSIONINTHREEDIMENSIONS

ThechangeinvolumeV isverynearlyV = 3V T .Thisequationisusuallywrittenas

V = VT ,

where isthecoefficientofvolumeexpansionand 3 .Notethatthevaluesof in

Tablearealmostexactlyequalto3 .

Ingeneral,objectswillexpandwithincreasingtemperature.Wateristhemostimportantexceptiontothis
rule.Waterexpandswithincreasingtemperature(itsdensitydecreases)whenitisattemperatures
greaterthan4C(40F).However,itexpandswithdecreasingtemperaturewhenitisbetween+4Cand
0C(40F to32F) .Waterisdensestat+4C .(SeeFigure.)Perhapsthemoststrikingeffectofthis

phenomenonisthefreezingofwaterinapond.Whenwaternearthesurfacecoolsdownto4Citis
denserthantheremainingwaterandthuswillsinktothebottom.Thisturnoverresultsinalayerof
warmerwaternearthesurface,whichisthencooled.Eventuallythepondhasauniformtemperatureof
4C.Ifthetemperatureinthesurfacelayerdropsbelow4C,thewaterislessdensethanthewater

below,andthusstaysnearthetop.Asaresult,thepondsurfacecancompletelyfreezeover.Theiceon
topofliquidwaterprovidesaninsulatinglayerfromwintersharshexteriorairtemperatures.Fishand
otheraquaticlifecansurvivein4Cwaterbeneathice,duetothisunusualcharacteristicofwater.Italso
producescirculationofwaterinthepondthatisnecessaryforahealthyecosystemofthebodyofwater.

Figure3. Thedensityofwaterasafunctionoftemperature.Notethatthethermalexpansionisactuallyvery
small.Themaximumdensityat +4C isonly0.0075%greaterthanthedensityat 2C,and0.012%greater
thanthatat 0C.

MAKINGCONNECTIONS:REALWORLDCONNECTIONSFILLINGTHETANK

Differencesinthethermalexpansionofmaterialscanleadtointerestingeffectsatthegas
station.Oneexampleisthedrippingofgasolinefromafreshlyfilledtankonahotday.Gasoline
startsoutatthetemperatureofthegroundunderthegasstation,whichiscoolerthantheair
temperatureabove.Thegasolinecoolsthesteeltankwhenitisfilled.Bothgasolineandsteel
tankexpandastheywarmtoairtemperature,butgasolineexpandsmuchmorethansteel,and
 tankexpandastheywarmtoairtemperature,butgasolineexpandsmuchmorethansteel,and
soitmayoverflow.
ThermalExpansionofSolidsandLiquids
Thisdifferenceinexpansioncanalsocauseproblemswheninterpretingthegasolinegauge.
Theactualamount(mass)ofgasolineleftinthetankwhenthegaugehitsemptyisalotlessin
thesummerthaninthewinter.Thegasolinehasthesamevolumeasitdoesinthewinterwhen
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theaddfuellightgoeson,butbecausethegasolinehasexpanded,thereislessmass.Ifyou
areusedtogettinganother40milesonemptyinthewinter,bewareyouwillprobablyrunout
muchmorequicklyinthesummer.

Figure4. Becausethegasexpandsmorethanthegastankwithincreasingtemperature,youcant
driveasmanymilesonemptyinthesummerasyoucaninthewinter.(credit:HectorAlejandro,
Flickr)

Example:CalculatingThermalExpansion:Gasvs.GasTank

Supposeyour60.0L(15.9gal)steelgasolinetankisfullofgas,soboththetankandthegasoline
haveatemperatureof15.0C .Howmuchgasolinehasspilledbythetimetheywarmto35.0C ?

Strategy

Thetankandgasolineincreaseinvolume,butthegasolineincreasesmore,sotheamountspilledis
thedifferenceintheirvolumechanges.(Thegasolinetankcanbetreatedassolidsteel.)Wecanuse
theequationforvolumeexpansiontocalculatethechangeinvolumeofthegasolineandofthetank.

Solution

1.Usetheequationforvolumeexpansiontocalculatetheincreaseinvolumeofthesteeltank:

Vs = s Vs T .

2.Theincreaseinvolumeofthegasolineisgivenbythisequation:

Vgas = gas Vgas T .

3.Findthedifferenceinvolumetodeterminetheamountspilledas

Vspill = Vgas Vs .

Alternatively,wecancombinethesethreeequationsintoasingleequation.(Notethattheoriginal
volumesareequal.)

Vspill = ( gas s )V T

6
= [(950 35) 10 /C] (60.0 L) (20.0C)

= 1.10 L.
 Discussion
ThermalExpansionofSolidsandLiquids
Thisamountissignificant,particularlyfora60.0Ltank.Theeffectissostrikingbecausethegasoline
andsteelexpandquickly.TherateofchangeinthermalpropertiesisdiscussedinHeatandHeat
TransferMethods(/contents/7892cddd833e42b8bcaaa1e94fb9eb9c).
Pageby:OpenStax

Ifyoutrytocapthetanktightlytopreventoverflow,youwillfindthatitleaksanyway,eitheraround
thecaporbyburstingthetank.Tightlyconstrictingtheexpandinggasisequivalenttocompressingit,
andbothliquidsandsolidsresistbeingcompressedwithextremelylargeforces.Toavoidrupturing
rigidcontainers,thesecontainershaveairgaps,whichallowthemtoexpandandcontractwithout
stressingthem.

ThermalStress
Thermalstressiscreatedbythermalexpansionorcontraction(seeElasticity:StressandStrain
(/contents/f11ae42f96664f3693d90093f94df061)foradiscussionofstressandstrain).Thermalstress
canbedestructive,suchaswhenexpandinggasolinerupturesatank.Itcanalsobeuseful,forexample,
whentwopartsarejoinedtogetherbyheatingoneinmanufacturing,thenslippingitovertheotherand
allowingthecombinationtocool.Thermalstresscanexplainmanyphenomena,suchastheweathering
ofrocksandpavementbytheexpansionoficewhenitfreezes.
Example:CalculatingThermalStress:GasPressure

WhatpressurewouldbecreatedinthegasolinetankconsideredinExample,ifthegasoline
increasesintemperaturefrom15.0C to35.0C withoutbeingallowedtoexpand?Assumethatthe
bulkmodulusBforgasolineis1.00 109 N/m2 .(Formoreonbulkmodulus,seeElasticity:Stress
andStrain(/contents/f11ae42f96664f3693d90093f94df061).)

Strategy

Tosolvethisproblem,wemustusethefollowingequation,whichrelatesachangeinvolumeV to
pressure:

1 F
V = V0 ,
B A

whereF /A ispressure,V0 istheoriginalvolume,andBisthebulkmodulusofthematerialinvolved.

WewillusetheamountspilledinExampleasthechangeinvolume,V .

Solution

1.Rearrangetheequationforcalculatingpressure:

F V
P = = B.
A V0

2.Inserttheknownvalues.ThebulkmodulusforgasolineisB = 1.00109 N/m2 .Intheprevious

example,thechangeinvolumeV = 1.10 L istheamountthatwouldspill.Here,V0 = 60.0 Lis
theoriginalvolumeofthegasoline.Substitutingthesevaluesintotheequation,weobtain

1.10 L 9 7
P = (1.00 10 Pa) = 1.83 10 Pa.
60.0 L

Discussion

Thispressureisabout2500 lb/in
2
,muchmorethanagasolinetankcanhandle.
 ThermalExpansionofSolidsandLiquids
Forcesandpressurescreatedbythermalstressaretypicallyasgreatasthatintheexampleabove.
Railroadtracksandroadwayscanbuckleonhotdaysiftheylacksufficientexpansionjoints.(SeeFigure.)
Powerlinessagmoreinthesummerthaninthewinter,andwillsnapincoldweatherifthereisinsufficient
slack.Cracksopenandcloseinplasterwallsasahousewarmsandcools.Glasscookingpanswillcrack
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ifcooledrapidlyorunevenly,becauseofdifferentialcontractionandthestressesitcreates.(Pyrexis
lesssusceptiblebecauseofitssmallcoefficientofthermalexpansion.)Nuclearreactorpressurevessels
arethreatenedbyoverlyrapidcooling,andalthoughnonehavefailed,severalhavebeencooledfaster
thanconsidereddesirable.Biologicalcellsarerupturedwhenfoodsarefrozen,detractingfromtheirtaste.
Repeatedthawingandfreezingaccentuatethedamage.Eventheoceanscanbeaffected.Asignificant
portionoftheriseinsealevelthatisresultingfromglobalwarmingisduetothethermalexpansionofsea
water.

Figure5. Thermalstresscontributestotheformationofpotholes.(credit:Editor5807,WikimediaCommons)

Metalisregularlyusedinthehumanbodyforhipandkneeimplants.Mostimplantsneedtobereplaced
overtimebecause,amongotherthings,metaldoesnotbondwithbone.Researchersaretryingtofind
bettermetalcoatingsthatwouldallowmetaltobonebonding.Onechallengeistofindacoatingthathas
anexpansioncoefficientsimilartothatofmetal.Iftheexpansioncoefficientsaretoodifferent,thethermal
stressesduringthemanufacturingprocessleadtocracksatthecoatingmetalinterface.

Anotherexampleofthermalstressisfoundinthemouth.Dentalfillingscanexpanddifferentlyfromtooth
enamel.Itcangivepainwheneatingicecreamorhavingahotdrink.Cracksmightoccurinthefilling.
Metalfillings(gold,silver,etc.)arebeingreplacedbycompositefillings(porcelain),whichhavesmaller
coefficientsofexpansion,andareclosertothoseofteeth.
CheckYourUnderstanding

Twoblocks,AandB,aremadeofthesamematerial.BlockAhasdimensions
l w h = L 2L L andBlockBhasdimensions2L 2L 2L .Ifthetemperaturechanges,

whatis(a)thechangeinthevolumeofthetwoblocks,(b)thechangeinthecrosssectionalarea
l w ,and(c)thechangeintheheighthofthetwoblocks?

Figure6.
 Figure6.
ThermalExpansionofSolidsandLiquids
[HideSolution]

(a)Thechangeinvolumeisproportionaltotheoriginalvolume.BlockAhasavolumeof
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3 .
L 2L L = 2L . BlockBhasavolumeof2L 2L 2L = 8L , whichis4timesthatofBlockA.
3

ThusthechangeinvolumeofBlockBshouldbe4timesthechangeinvolumeofBlockA.

(b)Thechangeinareaisproportionaltothearea.ThecrosssectionalareaofBlockAis
L 2L = 2L , whilethatofBlockBis2L 2L = 4L . BecausecrosssectionalareaofBlockBis
2 2

twicethatofBlockA,thechangeinthecrosssectionalareaofBlockBistwicethatofBlockA.

(c)Thechangeinheightisproportionaltotheoriginalheight.BecausetheoriginalheightofBlockB
istwicethatofA,thechangeintheheightofBlockBistwicethatofBlockA.

SectionSummary
Thermalexpansionistheincrease,ordecrease,ofthesize(length,area,orvolume)ofabodydue
toachangeintemperature.
Thermalexpansionislargeforgases,andrelativelysmall,butnotnegligible,forliquidsandsolids.
Linearthermalexpansionis

L = LT ,

whereListhechangeinlengthL,T isthechangeintemperature,andisthecoefficientof
linearexpansion,whichvariesslightlywithtemperature.
Thechangeinareaduetothermalexpansionis

A = 2AT ,

whereAisthechangeinarea.
Thechangeinvolumeduetothermalexpansionis

V = VT ,

where isthecoefficientofvolumeexpansionand 3 .Thermalstressiscreatedwhen

thermalexpansionisconstrained.

ConceptualQuestions
Thermalstressescausedbyunevencoolingcaneasilybreakglasscookware.ExplainwhyPyrex,a
glasswithasmallcoefficientoflinearexpansion,islesssusceptible.

Waterexpandssignificantlywhenitfreezes:avolumeincreaseofabout9%occurs.Asaresultofthis
expansionandbecauseoftheformationandgrowthofcrystalsaswaterfreezes,anywherefrom10%
to30%ofbiologicalcellsareburstwhenanimalorplantmaterialisfrozen.Discusstheimplicationsof
thiscelldamagefortheprospectofpreservinghumanbodiesbyfreezingsothattheycanbethawed
atsomefuturedatewhenitishopedthatalldiseasesarecurable.
 Onemethodofgettingatightfit,sayofametalpeginaholeinametalblock,istomanufacturethe
ThermalExpansionofSolidsandLiquids
pegslightlylargerthanthehole.Thepegistheninsertedwhenatadifferenttemperaturethanthe
block.Shouldtheblockbehotterorcolderthanthepegduringinsertion?Explainyouranswer.

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Doesitreallyhelptorunhotwateroveratightmetallidonaglassjarbeforetryingtoopenit?
Explainyouranswer.

Liquidsandsolidsexpandwithincreasingtemperature,becausethekineticenergyofabodysatoms
andmoleculesincreases.Explainwhysomematerialsshrinkwithincreasingtemperature.

Problems&Exercises
TheheightoftheWashingtonMonumentismeasuredtobe170monadaywhenthetemperatureis
35.0C .Whatwillitsheightbeonadaywhenthetemperaturefallsto10.0C?Althoughthe

monumentismadeoflimestone,assumethatitsthermalcoefficientofexpansionisthesameas
marbles.

[HideSolution]

169.98m

HowmuchtallerdoestheEiffelTowerbecomeattheendofadaywhenthetemperaturehas
increasedby15C?Itsoriginalheightis321mandyoucanassumeitismadeofsteel.

Whatisthechangeinlengthofa3.00cmlongcolumnofmercuryifitstemperaturechangesfrom
37.0C to40.0C ,assumingthemercuryisunconstrained?

[HideSolution]
6
5.4 10 m

Howlargeanexpansiongapshouldbeleftbetweensteelrailroadrailsiftheymayreachamaximum
temperature35.0C greaterthanwhentheywerelaid?Theiroriginallengthis10.0m.

YouarelookingtopurchaseasmallpieceoflandinHongKong.Thepriceisonly$60,000per
squaremeter!Thelandtitlesaysthedimensionsare20 m 30 m.Byhowmuchwouldthetotal
pricechangeifyoumeasuredtheparcelwithasteeltapemeasureonadaywhenthetemperature
was20Cabovenormal?

[HideSolution]

Becausetheareagetssmaller,thepriceofthelandDECREASESby~$17,000.

Globalwarmingwillproducerisingsealevelspartlyduetomeltingicecapsbutalsoduetothe
expansionofwaterasaverageoceantemperaturesrise.Togetsomeideaofthesizeofthiseffect,
calculatethechangeinlengthofacolumnofwater1.00kmhighforatemperatureincreaseof
1.00C.Notethatthiscalculationisonlyapproximatebecauseoceanwarmingisnotuniformwith

depth.
ThermalExpansionofSolidsandLiquids
Showthat60.0Lofgasolineoriginallyat15.0C willexpandto61.1Lwhenitwarmsto35.0C,as
claimedinExample.

Pageby:OpenStax
[HideSolution]

V = V0 + V = V0 (1 + T )

6
= (60.00 L) [1 + (950 10 /C) (35.0C 15.0C)]

= 61.1 L

(a)Supposeameterstickmadeofsteelandonemadeofinvar(analloyofironandnickel)arethe
samelengthat0C.Whatistheirdifferenceinlengthat22.0C ?(b)Repeatthecalculationfortwo
30.0mlongsurveyorstapes.

(a)Ifa500mLglassbeakerisfilledtothebrimwithethylalcoholatatemperatureof5.00C,how
muchwilloverflowwhenitstemperaturereaches22.0C ?(b)Howmuchlesswaterwouldoverflow
underthesameconditions?

[HideSolution]

(a)9.35mL

(b)7.56mL

Mostautomobileshaveacoolantreservoirtocatchradiatorfluidthatmayoverflowwhentheengine
ishot.Aradiatorismadeofcopperandisfilledtoits16.0Lcapacitywhenat10.0C.Whatvolume
ofradiatorfluidwilloverflowwhentheradiatorandfluidreachtheir95.0C operatingtemperature,
giventhatthefluidsvolumecoefficientofexpansionis = 400106 /C ?Notethatthiscoefficient
isapproximate,becausemostcarradiatorshaveoperatingtemperaturesofgreaterthan95.0C.

Aphysicistmakesacupofinstantcoffeeandnoticesthat,asthecoffeecools,itsleveldrops3.00
mmintheglasscup.Showthatthisdecreasecannotbeduetothermalcontractionbycalculatingthe
decreaseinlevelifthe350 cm 3 ofcoffeeisina7.00cmdiametercupanddecreasesin
temperaturefrom95.0C to 45.0C.(Mostofthedropinlevelisactuallyduetoescapingbubblesof
air.)

[HideSolution]

0.832mm

(a)Thedensityofwaterat0Cisverynearly1000 kg/m
3
(itisactually999.84 kg/m 3 ),whereasthe
densityoficeat0Cis917 kg/m .Calculatethepressurenecessarytokeepicefromexpanding
3

whenitfreezes,neglectingtheeffectsuchalargepressurewouldhaveonthefreezingtemperature.
(Thisproblemgivesyouonlyanindicationofhowlargetheforcesassociatedwithfreezingwater
mightbe.)(b)Whataretheimplicationsofthisresultforbiologicalcellsthatarefrozen?

Showthat 3, bycalculatingthechangeinvolumeV ofacubewithsidesoflengthL.

[HideSolution]

Weknowhowthelengthchangeswithtemperature:L = L 0 T .Alsoweknowthatthevolumeof
acubeisrelatedtoitslengthbyV ,sothefinalvolumeisthenV .
3 3
= L = V0 + V = (L0 + L)
 acubeisrelatedtoitslengthbyV = L 3 ,sothefinalvolumeisthenV .
3
= V0 + V = (L0 + L)

ThermalExpansionofSolidsandLiquids
SubstitutingforLgives
3 3 3
V = (L0 + L 0 T ) = L (1 + T ) .
0

Pageby:OpenStax
Now,becauseT issmall,wecanusethebinomialexpansion:

3 3 3
V L (1 + 3T) = L + 3L T .
0 0 0

SowritingthelengthtermsintermsofvolumesgivesV = V0 + V V0 + 3V0 T , andso

V = V0 T 3V0 T , or 3.

Footnotes
1Valuesforliquidsandgasesareapproximate.

Glossary
thermalexpansion
thechangeinsizeorvolumeofanobjectwithchangeintemperature

coefficientoflinearexpansion
,thechangeinlength,perunitlength,per1Cchangeintemperatureaconstantusedinthe

calculationoflinearexpansionthecoefficientoflinearexpansiondependsonthematerialandtosome
degreeonthetemperatureofthematerial

coefficientofvolumeexpansion
,thechangeinvolume,perunitvolume,per1Cchangeintemperature

thermalstress
stresscausedbythermalexpansionorcontraction

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