GUIDE QUESTIONS

1. In the performance of the experiment, cite the possible source of error and its effect
in the computed values. What are the recommendations then to minimize such
error?

 Base from the experiment that we had conducted I can say that the possible source
of error could be coming from the room temperature due to the use of the air
condition wherein it affects the tube temperature. Next is human error in the
process of misreading the measure of the length of the tube. The recommendation
that I could provide in the first error is that we could turn off the air condition for
a while in order to determine the values needed in the experiment. Lastly, we
could minimize the error through the process of double checking if the value that
we had gather is correct.

2. Would the result be different if the condensed water was not drained from the
expansion tube? Why?

 Yes, the result will be different if the condensed water wasn’t drain because there
would be more water where it could affect the heat transfer that could give as a
different result.

3. From the result of the experiment, compute for the coefficient of expansion for area
and volume of the metals.

The coefficient of two metals are shown below:

Aluminum
𝜎 = 2𝛼, 𝛼 = 2.219 × 10−5

𝜎 = 4.438 × 10−5

Copper
𝜎 = 3𝛼, 𝛼 = 1.832 × 10−5
𝜎 = 5.496 × 10−5
PROBLEMS:

1. On a hot day where the temperature is 32˚C, the distance between two lamp post on
the road is 30m as measured by a metal tape whose coefficient of linear expansion is
hypothetically 𝟓𝟎 × 𝟏𝟎−𝟔 /𝑪°. If the tape gives its correct reading at 20˚C, what is
the actual distance between the lamp posts?
∆𝑡 = 𝑡𝑓 − 𝑡𝑜
∆𝑡 = 32℃ − 20℃
∆𝑡 = 12℃

∆𝐿 = 𝐿𝑜 ∝ ∆𝑡
∆𝐿 = (30℃)(50 × 10−6 /𝐶°)(12℃)
∆𝐿 = 0.018

𝐿 = 30𝑚 − 0.018𝑚 = 29.982𝑚

2. An aluminum rod and copper rod have the same length of 100cm at 5 ˚C. At what
temperatures would one of the rods be 0.5mm longer than the other? Which rod is
longer at such temperature?
∆𝐿
𝛼=
𝐿𝑜 ∆𝑡
𝐿1 − 𝐿𝑜
𝛼=
𝐿𝑜 (𝑡𝑓 − 𝑡𝑖 )
𝐿1 = 𝛼𝐿0 (𝑡𝑓 − 𝑡𝑖 ) + 𝐿𝑜
𝐿𝐴 − 𝐿𝐶 = 0.5𝑚𝑚
𝐿𝐴 − 𝐿𝐶 = [𝛼𝐴 𝐿𝑂𝐴 (𝑡𝑓 − 𝑡𝑖 ) + 𝐿𝑂𝐴 ] − [𝛼𝐶 𝐿𝑂𝐴 (𝑡𝑓 − 𝑡𝑜 ) + 𝐿𝑂𝐴 ]
0.5 = [23.8 × 10−6 (1000)(𝑡𝑓 − 5℃) + 1000]
− [16.8 × 10−6 (1000)(𝑡𝑓 − 5℃) + 1000]
0.5
𝑡𝑓 = { } + 5℃
[23.8 × 10−6 (1000)− 16.8 × 10−6 (1000)]

𝑡𝑓 = 76.43 𝐶°
ANALYSIS:
Upon performing this experiment, I had analyzed that the weight of both the aluminum
and copper are different. wherein I had observed that when a density of an object is higher this
means the heat that will travel, will take much time that tells us that the copper is much compact
rather than the aluminum because the aluminum is much lighter that tells that the components in
the tube is less compact in short it is much easier for the heat to travel in the aluminum. Then
upon computing for experimental coefficient of linear expansion we used the formula given 𝐿 =
∆𝐿
therefore after we had computed the experimental coefficient of linear expansion we finally
𝐿𝑜 ∆𝑡
solved for the percent error of both metals which gives us the value of 5.19% for aluminum and
then 9.02% for copper. Lastly the error that we had discover throughout the experiment is that
when determining the temperature, we must be patient in order to get the exact value and we
must be accurate in measure the tube because sometimes it might be the cause of having a high
percentage error.

CONCLUSION:
Based from the result that we had gathered it shows us that the initial length of the tube of
both Aluminum and then copper had a slightly difference between each other. This experiment
also tells us that the initial length of the tube is directly proportional to each other based from the
result that we have gathered throughout the experiment like in the result in the trial 1 & 2
wherein it shows us that an object changes its dimension when its temperature is higher or lower.

APPLICATION:
I could relate Linear Expansion in my program in terms of most materials that will be
used in constructing a bridge where materials expand and construct due to the change of
temperature. with this type of relationship, it was determined that materials expand when being
heated and contracts when cooled. So, we had to account the change, and develop solution in
order to support various structures in a bridge.

REFERENCES:
 https://sciencing.com/application-linear-expansion-engineering-8731202.html