Thermal Expansion is the result of heat being added to an object or some type of temperature change. This occurs in liquids, gases, and solids. The result may be minuscule or paramount changes. Some objects will have a negative thermal expansion when heated. Engineers must consider the result of thermal expansion in their plans for a project.
Heat is another word for temperature when one considers thermal expansion. This could be from the outside temperature or direct heat of a flame. A Mississippi summer can easily reach 100 degrees or higher; and, therefore, when you consider this prolonged heat on a piece of metal such as a railroad track, the metal is going to continue to get bigger and expand. In order to prevent derails because the rails have buckled, engineers leave small gaps. In addition to the outside temperature, you also have the wheels on the
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However, if you are checking someone’s temperature by placing the thermometer under their tongue, you are adding heat to the thermometer, which in turn heats the mercury to give you a reading to determine whether or not they have a fever. This is also true when you run a thermometer under hot water from a faucet.
Helium is a gas that is used in balloons. As long as you keep the temperature constant or continue to add heat, such as a very hot room, the helium will continue to expand and the balloon will stay inflated. However, if you place the balloon in a cold room or allow it to sit at room temperature over several days the balloon will lose pressure because the helium slowly loses its temperature and begins to deflate.
The top layer of ponds, lakes, and even the ocean will freeze but only so far because of negative thermal expansion. The water underneath the ice will only reach 4 degrees Celsius. This is why we are able to watch people in Alaska cut holes in the ice and fish in the dead of