Module No.
4
PHYSICS 322
Overview
This module covers the concept of thermal expansion which include linear expansion,
area and volume expansions. It also provides drill and exercises to help better understand its
application and for problem solving purposes.
What will you do to open a tightly covered metal cap of a glass jar? Perhaps you have
seen that some people heat the cover on the stove to “loosen” the metal cap. They do this
because the metal cap expands when it is heated.
How about the sagging of wires during summer? Are you
aware that there are many occurrence of tire bursting during April
than December? These and other instances will be discussed as the
lesson progress.
This module also covers topics from the concept of heat
capacity and how to solve the specific heat of a material.
Heat added or taken away from a substance affects its temperature. However, note that
when in a cold ennvironment, a piece of wood and a piece of metal will not be equally cold when
we touch them. The metal will be colder than the wood. Also, the filling of an apple pie feels
hotter than the crust even if the whole pie-was evenly subjected to a certain amount of heat in
an oven.
The above examples show us that materials differ in
their capacities for abosorbing heat. The amount of heat that a
given mass of substance absorbs ( or releases) to undergpo a
temperature change of 1Co is heat capacity of the capacity of
the substance. Heat capacity is usually symbolized as C. The
standard unit for heat capacity is joule per kelvin (J/K).
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, the students are expected to:
1. explain thermal expansion
2. cite and discuss the different types of thermal expansion
3. enumerate situations as evidence of thermal expansion
4. solve the thermal expansion word related problems accurately.
5. define
a. heat capacity
b. specific heat
6. solve for specific heat
1
Indicated Learning Content
Thermal expansion
a. Linear expansion
b. Surface area expansion
c. Volume expansion
Heat Capacity
Specific Heat
Discussion
Thermal Expansion
Most materials expand when heated and contract when cooled. This change in the dimension of
an object due to temperature change is called thermal expansion.
Thermal expansion is the tendency of
matter to change in volume in response to
a change in temperature. Railroad tracks
and bridges, for example,
have expansion joints to allow them to
freely expand and contract with
temperature changes
The most visible example is the expansion of hot air. When
air is heated, it expands and becomes less dense than the
surrounding air, which then exerts an (upward) force on the
hot air and makes steam and smoke rise, hot air balloons float,
and so forth. The same behavior happens in all liquids and
gases, driving natural heat transfer upward in homes, oceans,
and weather systems, as we will discuss in an upcoming
section. Solids also undergo thermal expansion. Railroad tracks and bridges, for example,
have expansion joints to allow them to freely expand and contract with temperature changes.
2
Heat Capacity
The figure shows five blocks of differeent metals: aluminum, iron, copper, gold, and
lead. Each weighs 100 g. They all have the same cross sectional area and all had the same initial
temperature before beieng placed onto the block of ice. The metal blocks have different lenghts
because of their differeent densities. The diagram shows you how deep each metal melts into the
ice and sinks the deepest; second is aluminum; third is iron; fourth is copper; and lead is last.
The demonstration
shows that the different
metals absorbed and gave
off different amounts of
heat even if they had the
same mass and initial
temperature. We describe
the materials as having
different heat capacities.
Substances with high
heat capacities heat up
more slowly because they
have to absorb a greater
number of calories. They
also cool down at a slower rate because they have to give off more heat. The heat capacity of a
body is the quantity of heat necessary to raise its temperature by 1oC.
Heat capacity does not tell you much about the heat properties of substance of which the
object is made. For example, you can say that thr heat capacity of 50 g of silver is different from
the heat capaciy of 50 g gold . But the heat capacity of 50 g gold is also different from the heat
capacity of 25 g of gold. So it is necessary have a common basis when comparing heat capacities
of different materials.
Specific Heat
To refer to the amount of heat that a unit mass (e.g., per gram) of a substance absorbs or
loses to change its temperature by 1 Co or 1 K, we use the term specific heat capacity.
heat
specific heat=
mass x change∈temperature
While the heat capacity of a materials or substance may vary based on the amount of the
substance, the specific heat capacity is constant for the same material or substance. The usual
symbol for specifics heat capacity ( which is sometimes simply referred to as specific heat) is c.
For heat, the symbol is Q. Substituting the symbols, the equation become
Q
c=
m∆T
3
The amount of heat Q needed to raise the temperature of a certain substance with a mass
m from temperature T1 to T2 is found proportional to the change in temperature, ΔT = T 2 – T1.
The change in temperature ΔT of any substance still depends on its phase or nature. For example,
raising the temperature of a kilogram of water by 1Co requires 4187 J of heat as compared to a
kilogram of aluminum that requires only 910J. This is because water doesn’t heat pup easily as
metals. Thus, the heavy required for temperature change ΔT of a certain material with mass m is
Q=mc ΔT
(total heat absorbed or released) where c is the specific heat capacity which is a quantity
that varies for different materials.
The SI unit for specific heat capacity is either J/kg.K or 1J/kg.C 0. For a unit mass m = 1
unit and temperature change of one unit (such as ΔT = 1C 0) , Q has a magnitude with c.
So, specific heat capacity is defined as the amount of heat required to change the
temperature of a unit mass of the substance by one unit degree.
The amount of heat it takes to increase the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1C 0 is known
as specific heat of a substance. By definition, the specific heat of water is numerically 1; that is 1
calorie raises the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1C 0. The specific heat of a given substance
in a state (that is solid, liquid or gas) depends on the temperature but is constant for many
substances.
In metric system, the unit for specific heat is calories per gram degree Celsius (cal /g ° C ¿
Different objects need different amounts of energy to heat up. This explains why there
are substances that become hot quickly and substances that heat up slowly. Also, heat
transfers when two bodies have different temperatures.
In your calculations, heat Q can be positive or negative. The useful sign convention for
heat is as follows:
1. When heat is absorbed by the body, its temperature increase (T2 > T1). So ΔT and Q
are positive.
2. When heat is released by the body, its temperature decreases (T 1 > T2). So ΔT and Q
are negative.
Specific Heat of Various Substances
4
Substance (
Specific Heat
cal /g ° C ¿
solids
Aluminum 0.217
Brass 0.090
Carbon, Diamond 0.120
Carbon, Graphite 0.160
Copper 0.092
Diamond 0.124
Glass, soda 0.16
Gold 0.031
Ice 0.500
Iron 0.113
Lead 0.031
Silver 0.057
Tungsten 0.034
Zinc 0.93
Liquids
Alcohol, ethyl 0.60
Ethanol 0.750
Ethylene, glycol (Prestone) 0.528
Mercury 0.033
Water 1.00
Gases
Laboratory Activities Air 0.025
Helium 1.240
Colorful Convection Hydrogen, (constant Currents
5.389
pressure)
I. Objectives
Nitrogen 0.25
1. Demonstrate the
Oxygen 0.22
occurrence of
Steam 0.48
convection through a
simple activity
2. Explain how convection occurs
3. Appreciate the importance of convection in one’s life
II. Materials
Four empty identical bottles (the mouth of the bottle should be at least an inch in
diameter.), warm and cold water, 3X5 inch index card or old playing card, masking
tape, pen, dry cloth or paper towels
III. Procedure
1. Fill two of the bottles with warm water from the tap and the other two bottles with
cold water. Use masking tape and a pen to label the bottles with the words “HOT”
and “COLD.”
2. Use food coloring to color the warm water yellow and the cold water blue. Each
bottle must be filled to the brim with water.
3. The next step can be a little tricky, but with practice you’ll have no problem. Your
first observation will be what happens if the bottle with warm water rests on top
of the bottle filled with cold water. To accomplish this, place the index card or old
5
playing card over the mouth of one of the warm water bottles (remember, it’s the
bottle with the yellow water). Hold the card in place as you turn the bottle upside
down and rest it on top of one of the cold water bottles. The bottles should be
positioned so that they are mouth to mouth with the card separating the two
liquids. Just make sure to have towels close by in case everything doesn’t go
exactly as planned.
4. Carefully slip the card out from in between the two bottles, making sure that you
are holding onto the top bottle when you remove the card. Take a look at what
happens to the colored liquids in the two bottles.
5. For the second variation of the experiment, you need to have the warm water on
the bottom and the cold water on top. Repeat steps three and four, but this time
place the bottle of cold water on top of the warm water. Carefully remove the card
and watch what happens.
IV. Data and Observation:
1. Draw of the experimental set –ups A and B
2. Describe all your observations.
3. Explain how convection takes place.
4. Cite examples convection and its application in daily life activities.
V. Conclusion
VI. Enrichment
1. What is thermal inversion? Cite important applications of thermal inversion.
Evaluation
Part I. Direction: Choose the correct answer.
1. A metal disc with a hole in it is heated. The diameter of the hole will
a. increase
b. decrease
c. not change
2. You have enough money to buy 10 L of petrol. When should you buy it?
a. 2 pm
b. 2 am
3. Why does running a jar under hot water make it easier to open?
a. Because the metal expands into the spaces between the glass threads.
b. Because the gaps between the threads and the lid get larger as it expands
c. Because hot things are more malleable
d. Because the gaps between the threads and the lid get smaller as it expands
4. Of the following substances, the one that requires the greatest amount of heat per kilogram
for a given increase in temperature is
a. Ice c. steam
b. Water d. copper
5. A pressure cooker cooks food more rapidly than an ordinary pot with a loose lid because
6
a. The pressure forces heat into the food
b. The higher pressure lowers the boiling point of water
c. The higher pressure raises the boiling point of water
d. The higher pressure increases the specific heat capacity of water
6. If you heat up an object that contains holes and crevices, what happens to those holes?
a. They increase in size at the same rate as the object itself.
b. The increases in size at a rate greater than the object itself.
c. They decrease in size at a rate slower than the object itself.
d. They remain the same.
7. A high specific heat means
a. It heats up quickly with energy added.
b. It requires more energy to change temperature.
c. It is very hot.
d. It is high in the sky like the sun
8. For a skillet used in cooking, do you want a high or low specific heat?
a. High so that it will need more energy to heat up.
b. Low so that it will change temperature quickly.
c. High so that it will change temperature quickly.
d. Low so that it will need more energy to heat up.
9. The following are effects of heat EXCEPT
a. A change in the heat content of a substance can cause chemical changes.
b. All objects has the same expansion when temperature rises
c. Liquid may absorb enough heat to change to vapor state
d. Substances absorb heat when temperature rises
10. As more heat is added to a sample of water boiling in a stove, its temperature
a. Remains the same
b. increases
c. decreases
d. increase then decrease
