E301: LINEAR EXPANSION

MOLINA, Nikko Angelo V.

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this experiment was to determine
the coefficient of linear expansion of two
individual rods of different material, one rod
being copper and the other aluminum. This
experiment also aimed to study the physical
behavior of these materials as the temperature
changes, specifically the changes in its length or
the thermal expansion.
Matter undergoes changes and these changes
may have something to do with the state of the
environment they are in or exposed to. This
experiment delves on the changes to matter
when introducing a change in temperature. These
changes in matter are also defined by the state
they are in whether it is gas, solid, or liquid. In
this experiment we will be dealing with solids.

This experiment also involves the electrical

resistance of the material being experimented on.
Since the electrical resistance of the copper is
dependent
upon
collision
processes,
the
resistance could be expected to increase with
temperature since there will be more collisions.
The measurements made in the experiment were
the total elongation of the material when heat
was introduced into it, the electrical resistance of
the material initially and then as heat was
introduced, and the initial length of the object
which is constant.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

As mentioned earlier not all matter changes

equally the same, even solids change differently
and this is because of the material of which the
solid is made of. This is where the coefficient of
linear expansion comes in. The coefficient
describes how the size of an object changes with
a change in temperature. This constant varies
with the materials a solid is composed of.
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Materials list
1. Meter Stick- used to measure in
centimeters.
2. Digital multi-tester- used to measure
voltage, current, or resistance.
3. Rug- used in the experiment to soak
water.
4. Steam generator- heats water to produce
steam.
5.
Rubber tubing- used to transfer the
steam to the rods.
6. Expansion base- holds in place the rods.
6.1.
Thermistorbuilt
into
the
expansion base to help measure
the resistance.
6.2.
Dial gauge- measures the change
in length of the rod.
7. Aluminum and Copper tubes- the base
material for the experiment.
General measuring instruments like the meter
stick were used for measuring the rods. A dial
gauge which was already attached to the
expansion base was used in measuring the
changes in length which were invisible to the
naked eye. And a digital multi-tester was used
with the guide of the thermistor to measure the
electrical resistance of the material. There was a
table given to us to see the corresponding
temperature with each resistance.
Step by step procedures and guidelines:
1. Ensure the materials and equipments are
complete.
2. Plug in the Steam generator and turn it up
to the highest setting to conserve time in
heating the water.
3. As the water heats, set up the aluminum
rod into the base clamping it and
steadying it into the base.
4. Attach the thermistor and clamp it.
5. Proceed to measure the resistance with
the digital multitester by plugging the two
rods in the plugs.
6. Unclamp the thermistor and turn off the
multitester for now.
7. By now the steam is generated, plug one
end of the rubber tubing into the Steam
generator and the other end on one end of
the aluminum rod.
8. Place the rug on the other end of the rod
to avoid mess.
9. Measure the change in length by
observing the dial gauge.

10. When the dial gauge is steady, clamp in

the thermistor and turn on the multitester
to record the new data.
11. Turn down the heat for now as it becomes
easy to reheat for the second trial and
proceed to set up the copper rod.
12. Repeat steps 3-11 for the second trial.
13. Clean apparatuses and experiment area
afterwards.

Figure 1. The group waiting for the water to

heat.

OBSERVATIONS AND RESULTS

The table shows the relationship of the measured

resistance in ohms to the corresponding
temperature in degrees Celsius.
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 t=t hot t rm

I conclude that the coefficient of linear expansion

is the amount of how much the material expands
per change in the temperature. Because of the
different expansions from the data gathered, with
aluminum being 1.23mm and copper being
0.88mm, I conclude that expansions are varying
with the material used therefore the coefficient of
linear expansion varies with the material used as
well.

L
Lo t
EV /
x 10 0
AV
%Error=

AV

Sample computations for aluminum:

t rm=25 oC

-the room temperature.

t hot =7 5 oC

-the temperature when steam was

introduced.
o

t=7525=50 C

the

change

in

temperature.

L=1.23 mm

-the change in the length of the

rod.

Lo=702 mm

-the initial length of the rod

before introducing steam.

1.23
=3.5 x 105 /C o
(703 ) (50)

-the experimental

value for the coefficient of linear expansion.

5

AV =2.38 x 10 / C

10 /
x 10 0=47.24
5
2.38 x 10
%Error=

2.38 x 1053.5 x

I also conclude that the factors affecting the

change in length of an object is proportional to
the change in temperature. The aluminum rod
expanded by 1.23mm from an initial temperature
of 25 degrees Celsius to 75 degrees Celsius. The
same case happened for copper as well. I could
therefore
conclude
that
the
hotter
the
temperature the more the material elongates and
vice versa. This is different for each kind of
material because of the difference in their
coefficients of linear expansion.
Our measurements fall in the range of
acceptable. Even with an error of 47%,
considering the disadvantageous environment on
where an experiment concerning heat is involved,
the data gathered were sufficient in coming up
with results. This margin of error is because of
the rooms air conditioning unit. It cools the room
therefore messing with the actual data gathered
in the experiment. The laboratory equipments
were also very sensitive so a slight mishandling
of these might have provided incorrect
measurements.
I recommend the experiment be conducted in a
room where the air conditioning would not affect
the experiment too much. Also, the experiment
would yield better results if conducted in a stable
platform and not just a table for better
measurements using the sensitive equipments
like the dial gauge.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT & REFERENCE

DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION
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In making the graph I visited rapidtables.com

which provides fast and easy ways of making
different kinds of graphs and charts. For some
researches on the objectives and methodology I
visited hyperphysics and electrical4u which
broadened my knowledge on the relationship of
resistance to the temperature of the materials
which has been a crucial part of the experiment
and this report. I also visited Wikipedia and
yahoo
answers for
additional
information

concerning general knowledge only because of

the
Institutes
requirement,
treated
as
suggestion, of not relying on sources like these. I
would like to thank the yahoo users poldi and
tomsing98 for clarifying the significance of this
experiment and in turn helping me in
accomplishing this report. I would like to thank
Sir De Leon and the physics Department for the
handouts in guiding me to know what I needed
research on.

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