Preview

Thermal Physics

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1464 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Thermal Physics
Oeiras International School
Oeiras International School
Gonçalo Diogo Santos, Yr. 11.1
Mr. Bruce Lomba
Monday, May 6, 2013
Gonçalo Diogo Santos, Yr. 11.1
Mr. Bruce Lomba
Monday, May 6, 2013
Thermal Physics (Heat)
Thermal Physics (Heat)
One World Essay
One World Essay

Introduction

On this essay I am going to investigate about how thermal physics interfere with the construction of railways. I was given the possibility to choose between explaining how thermal physics is used in the design of railways or roads and bridges. I chose to explain how it is used in railways because I find it particular more interesting. After that, I will explain what Thermal Expansion is. Posteriorly I will be discussing the physics role when designing railways. To complete my One World Essay, I am going to discuss 2 world aspects: Environmental and Economical. I will be talking through the pros and cons. I think both these world aspects have a lot to do with the topic being studied, including its effect.

Thermal Expansion?

In today’s days heat, energy and temperature have a significant effect on our lives. We are highly sensitive to hot and cold. We think about it in almost everything we do.
Thermal expansion is the tendency of matter to change in volume in response to a change in temperature. Heat (thermal energy) causes increased atomic motion in materials, and this change in the kinetic energy of the atoms and molecules of a material will cause it to increase in volume.
The equation of Thermal Expansion is ΔL = αLΔT. Being ΔL a particular length measurement. ΔT is the rate of change of the linear dimension per unit change in temperature. L is the original length. The coefficient of thermal expansion is different in every material: α.

Expansions in Solids

Materials generally change their size when subjected to a temperature change while the pressure is held constant. In the special case of solid materials, the pressure does not have a reasonable

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Charles’s Law (also known as the law of volumes) is an experimental gas law which describes how gases tend to expand when heated. At constant pressure, the volume of a given mass of an ideal gas increases or decreases by the same factor as its temperature on the absolute temperature scale. It can be written as V∞T where V is the volume or the gas and T is the absolute temperature.…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Under conditions of constant pressure the heat absorbed or released is termed enthalpy (or "heat content"). We do not measure enthalpy directly, rather we are concerned about the heat added or lost by the system, which is the change in enthalpy (or ΔH The quantity of heat gained or lost by a system, ΔH, is dependent upon, the mass, m, of the system: the more massive an object the more heat needed to raise its temperature, the change in temperature, (ΔT): the larger the temperature change in a system the more heat exchanged, and the nature of the substance(s) making up the system. The last quantity is defined by the heat capacity of the system. For a given substance, the specific heat capacity is defined as the quantity of heat needed to raise 1 gram of the substance by 1 degree Celcius. Specific heat capacity has units of joules per degree Celcius per gram, J.g-1.ºC-1.The three quantities combine to give the quantity of heat gained, or lost, by a system:…

    • 2451 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    solutions manual chapter 17

    • 7624 Words
    • 77 Pages

    ∆Ssurr = !∆H/T; heat flow (∆H) into or out of the system dictates ∆Ssurr. If heat flows into the…

    • 7624 Words
    • 77 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    GCII Lab 1

    • 4059 Words
    • 22 Pages

    increases, we observe an increase in the thermal energy of the substance. This change in thermal energy…

    • 4059 Words
    • 22 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Why Stuff Expands

    • 569 Words
    • 2 Pages

    There is a reasonable explanation to the question of why water expands both when heated and cooled. Not only is the explanation reasonable, but the effects of this odd property have their own advantages and disadvantages as well.…

    • 569 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Thermal Expansion was a bit more complicated than density. This experiment entailed using a hot plate to heat water to its boiling point. A Supal testing apparatus was then calibrated to the exact length of the metal in order to measure a difference in length. The metal cylinders were then placed into the boiling water to heat up and expand due to the heat. The cylinders were then placed into the Supal testing apparatus in order to measure the change in length. These values were then taken and used to calculate the thermal expansion coefficient.…

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The first law of thermodynamics states that the energy of the universe is constant. Heat is transferred when the atoms of one material vibrate and collide with the atoms of another material, thus transferring energy. For this reason, heats always travel from hot to cold objects and two objects will reach an equilibrium temperature.…

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Heat and Energy Transfer

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages

    While the cup with hot water was loosing energy, the cup with cold water was gaining energy.…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The volume of the water will increase as temperature increases, since the distance of the particles in the water between each other increases, making the water "expand", increasing the volume of the water.…

    • 703 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    4 When hot objects expand its atoms take up more space…

    • 226 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Specific Heat

    • 1812 Words
    • 7 Pages

    where C is the specific heat capacity of that material. Normally the change in temperature of the substance…

    • 1812 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lab 40 Calorimetry

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages

    • The symbol ΔT refers to “the change in temperature.” Example: ΔT = 5.00 0C means a temperature change of 5 0C (Tfinal – Tinitial).…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    This will result in the characteristics of the indoor environment falling outside the comfort zone and as a predictable defense, an increased use of air conditioning systems. According to The Royal Society for Public Health, due to a warming climate, it is any individual’s first intuition to use air conditions in order to prevent discomfort. This method is ironically the solution that is non-sustainable and contradicts the growing desire for more energy efficient and airtight homes that many individuals continue to stress. Rising temperatures have the ability to compromise the human body and adversely affecting health. Consequently, the human body has difficulties maintaining thermoregulation. (Anderson M.) Therefore, thresholds for indoor temperature should be defined as a public health issue. Under these circumstances, thermoregulation is the ability of the human body to maintain a regular body temperature, even when the surrounding temperature is immeasurably different. As a result, one can undergo physiological damage and can experience a continuum of heat stress, strain, stroke, and even death. Certain age groups and demographics are at increased risk of heat-related illnesses. Being that the temperature in Florida has already begun to cause unbearable reactions, the nursing homes in the more southern areas are…

    • 1584 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Thermal Expansion

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Thermal Expansion happens a lot in everyday life. When something is heated and expands this is Thermal Expansion. The way Thermal Expansion works, is when it is heated the atoms expand, and then when it is cooled it shrinks. Several examples of Thermal Expansi…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fepo4 Analysis

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The increase of heat make the kinetic energy rises, causing the atomic vibrations to multiply, that apparently make the volume of the unit cell rises. This is concluded by looking at the data, when the heat rises to 969K from 294K, the cell parameter rises to 5.1346 Å from 5.0314 Å, while c rises to 11.3465 Å from 11.2465 Å. At the meantime, the volume of the unit cell also rises to 259.06 Å3 from 246.56 Å3. This kind of expansion is led by the tilting of the tetrahedral and it is very easy to notice by simple…

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays