What is thermal expansion?

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Question: What is thermal expansion?

Option a: The increase in the size of an object with an increase in its length. While length is a dimension that can change due to temperature, this statement is overly specific and uses the term 'length' without acknowledging that thermal expansion typically occurs in all dimensions (length, width, height) for most solids. It narrows the concept to a single dimension, which is misleading.

Option b: The increase in the size of an object with an increase in its dimension. This is closer to the general idea, since 'dimensions' could refer to any measure of size, but it remains vague. It implies a general resize but lacks explicit reference to temperature, which is the key driver of thermal expansion.

Option c: The increase in the size of an object with an increase in its temperature. This statement correctly identifies the fundamental cause of thermal expansion: higher temperature leads to greater atomic vibrations and spacing, causing the material to take up more space. It aligns with the physical mechanism across most materials, though material-specific coefficients describe how much expansion occurs.

Option d: The increase in the size of an object with a decrease in its temperature. This is incorrect because cooling typically reduces atomic spacing, leading to contraction rather than expansion for most substances.

Overall, the core concept to understand is that thermal expansion describes how materials tend to expand when heated and contract when cooled, tied directly to changes in temperature rather than changes in a specific dimension alone or temperature decrease. The phrasing of each option helps distinguish between a precise, temperature-driven description and more vague or opposite ideas, highlighting why the temperature linkage is essential for correctly defining thermal expansion.

UCIC 202503 PHYS101 Quiz 6

What is thermal expansion?

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