EVERWIN VIDHYASHRAM
SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
KOLATHUR, CHENNAI-99
Affilated to CBSE, Delhi No.1930438
PHYSICS PROJECT
THERMAL EXPANSION
KRITHIK.A.R
XII-GALLANT
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that KRITHIK.A.R of XII-GALLANT has successfully
completed the Physics Project titled “THERMAL EXPANSION” under the
guidance of [Link] KUMARI.C and submitted for the practical
examination conducted by the CBSE board during the year 2025-2026.
Date:
Internal Signature of External
Examiner the Principal Examiner
1|Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I gratefully acknowledge my sincere thanks to our physics teacher
[Link] KUMARI.C and our principal Mrs. VIDYA HARI for giving
me the opportunity to complete the project successfully.
KRITHIK.A.R
XII-GALLANT
2|Page
INDEX
[Link] CONTENT PAGE NO.
1) INTRODUCTION 5
2) HEAT 6
3) TEMPERATURE 7
4) THERMAL 10
EXPANSION
5) THERMAL 11-12
EXPANSION OF
SOLID,LIQUID,AND
GAS
6) ANOMALOUS 14
EXPANSION OF
WATER
7) CALORIMETER 15-19
8) LATENT HEAT 20
9) BIBLIOGRAPHY 21
3|Page
4|Page
INTRODUCTION
- Heat is the transfer of kinetic energy from one medium or object to another, or from
an energy source to a medium or object. Such energy transfer can occur in three ways:
radiation, conduction, and convection.
- Most of us use the word ‘heat’ to mean something that feels warm, but science defines
heat as the flow of energy from a warm object to a cooler object.
- Actually, heat energy is all around us – in volcanoes, in icebergs and in your body. All
matter contains heat energy.
- Heat energy is the result of the movement of tiny particles called atoms, molecules or
ions in solids, liquids and gasses. Heat energy can be transferred from one object to
another. The transfer or flow due to the difference in temperature between the two
5|Page
objects is called heat.
- For example, an ice cube has heat energy and so does a glass of lemonade. If you put
the ice in the lemonade, the lemonade (which is warmer) will transfer some of its
heat energy to the ice. In other words, it will heat up the ice.
Eventually, the ice will melt and the lemonade and water from the ice will be the same
temperature. This is known as reaching a state of thermal equilibrium.
All matter is made of tiny particles called atoms, molecules and ions. These tiny particles are
always in motion – either bumping into each other or vibrating back and forth. It is the
motion of particles that creates a form of energy called heat (or thermal) energy that is
present in all matter
6|Page
HEAT
- Heat is the transfer of kinetic energy from one medium or object to another, or
from an energy source to a medium or object. Such energy transfer can occur in
three ways: radiation, conduction, and convection.
- The standard unit of heat in the International System of Units (SI) is the calorie
(cal), which is the amount of energy transfer required to raise the temperature of
one gram of pure liquid water by one degree Celsius, provided the water temperature
is higher than the freezing point and lower than the boiling point. Sometimes the
kilocalorie (kcal) is specified as a unit of heat; 1 kcal = 1000 cal. (This is the so-
called diet calorie.) Less often, the British thermal unit (Btu) is used. This is the
amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of pure liquid
water by one degree Fahrenheit.
- An example of heat by radiation is the effect of infrared (IR) energy as it strikes a
surface. IR is an electromagnetic field capable of transfering energy from a
source, such as a fireplace, to a destination, such as the surfaces within a room.
Radiation does not require an intervening medium; it can occur through a
vacuum. It is responsible for the warming of the Earth by the sun.
Heat by conduction takes place when two material media or objects are in direct
contact, and the temperature of one is higher than the temperature of the other. The
temperatures tend to equalize; thus the heat conduction consists of a transfer of
kinetic energy from the warmer medium to the cooler one. An example is the
immersion of a chilled human body in a hot bath
7|Page
TEMPERATURE
- Temperature, measure of hotness or coldness expressed in terms of
any of several arbitrary scales and indicating the direction in which
heat energy will spontaneously flow—i.e., from a hotter body (one at a
higher temperature) to a colder body (one at a lower temperature).
- Temperature is not the equivalent of the energy of a thermodynamic
system; e.g., a burning match is at a much higher temperature than
an iceberg, but the total heat energy contained in an iceberg is much
greater than the energy contained in a match.
- Temperature, similar to pressure or density, is called an intensive
property—one that is independent of the quantity of matter being
considered—as distinguished from extensive properties, such as mass
or volume.
8|Page
Temperature Scales:
- Three temperature scales are in general use today. The Fahrenheit (°F) temperature
scale is used in the United States and a few other English- speaking countries. The
Celsius (°C) temperature scale is standard in virtually all countries that have adopted
the metric system of measurement, and it is widely used in the sciences.
- The Kelvin (K) scale, an absolute temperature scale (obtained by shifting the Celsius
scale by −273.15° so that absolute zero coincides with 0 K), is recognized as the
international standard for scientific temperature measurement
THERMAL EXPANSION
- Thermal expansion is the tendency of matter to change its shape, area, volume, and
density in response to a change in , usually not including phase transitions.
- Temperature is a monotonic function of the average molecular kinetic energy of a
substance. When a substance is heated, molecules begin to vibrate and move more,
usually creating more distance between themselves. Substances which contract with
increasing temperature are unusual, and only occur within limited temperature
9|Page
ranges (see examples below).
Expansion joint in a road bridge used to avoid damage from
thermal expansion
- The relative expansion (also called strain) divided by the change in temperature is
called the material's coefficient of linear thermal expansion and generally varies with
temperature.
- As energy in particles increases, they start moving faster and faster weakening the
intermolecular forces between them, therefore expanding the substance
THERMAL EXPANSION OF SOLIDS,LIQUIDS AND GASES
THERMAL EXPANSION OF SOLIDS:
- In physics, Thermal expansion can be defined as the change in the length, width,
height, or volume of any material on changing the temperature. Thermal
expansion is very evident in solids as atoms are densely packed. Thermal
10 | P a g e
expansion of solids has loads of applications in day to day life.
- It is a well-known phenomenon now that substances expand on heating and contract
on cooling. If you heat a body, it alters its dimensions. Depending on the shape of the
body
1. The expansion can occur in length in which case it is called Linear
Expansion.
2. If we take a square tile and heat it, the expansion will be on two fronts,
length and breadth, here it is called Area Expansion.
3. If we take a cube and heat it, all its sides expand and now the body
experiences an increase in the overall volume due to this and it is called
Volume Expansion.
Thermal expansion can result in linear expansion or area expansion or volumetric
expansion. The corresponding formula is given below along with relevant terms. Thus,
the formula used to represent the thermal expansion in a body is
11 | P a g e
Linear Expansion:
where,
- l is the initial length of the solid
- Δl is the change in length
- αl length expansion constant
- ΔT is the temperature difference
Area Expansion:
where,
- A is the initial area of the solid
- ΔA is the change in the area
- αA Area expansion coefficient
- ΔT is the temperature difference
Volumetric expansion:
12 | P a g e
where,
- V is the initial volume of the solid
- ΔV is the change in volume.
- αV volume expansion coefficient
- ΔT is the temperature difference
- Here, the alpha represents the coefficient of linear expansion and it is a
characteristic of the substance the body is made of. For example, for the same
temperature rise, copper expands almost five times more than glass. Generally,
metals expand more and have higher values of alpha compared to gases and
liquids
ANOMALOUS EXPANSION OF WATER
The anomalous expansion of water is an abnormal property of water whereby it
expands instead of contracting when the temperature goes from 4oC to 0oC and
it becomes less dense. The density becomes less and less as it freezes because
molecules of water normally form open crystal structures when in solid form.
13 | P a g e
SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY:
- The specific heat capacity is defined as the quantity of heat (J) absorbed per unit
mass (kg) of the material when its temperature increases 1 K (or 1°C), and its
units are J/(kg K) or J/(kg °C).
Uses of specific heat in our daily life are given below:
1. Utensils for making tea or coffee, or cooking vegetables or rice, are made of low-specific heat
materials. They have a polished bottom. As a result, they heat up faster. For example, copper,
aluminum, and so on.
2. High specific heat materials can be used as insulators. Wood, for example, has high specific heat.
During the summer, wooden houses will keep the inside cooler. Builders can select appropriate
building materials based on location and altitude. This enables the construction of warmer or
cooler houses.
14 | P a g e
3. Utensil handles at home are made of materials with high specific heat.
They provide thermal insulation. Specific heat also influences insulating capability and conductivity.
CALORIMETRY
Calorimetry is used to measure amounts of heat transferred to or from a substance.
To do so, the heat is exchanged with a calibrated object (calorimeter). The
temperature change measured by the calorimeter is used to derive the amount of
heat transferred by the process under study.
The principle of calorimetry indicates the law of conservation energy, i.e. the
total heat lost by the hot body is equal to the total heat gained by the cold
body. Heat Lost = Heat Gained. The heat transfer in a system is calculated using
the formula, q = m c Δ t.
CHANGE OF STATE:
What are Changes of State?
A change of state is a physical change in a matter. They are reversible changes and do not involve
any changes in the chemical makeup of the matter.
15 | P a g e
- Common changes of the state include melting, freezing, sublimation, deposition, condensation, and
vaporization. These changes are shown in the figure given below
Why do Phase Changes Occur?
When temperature or pressure change of a system occurs, phase changes occur. When the
temperature or pressure increases, the interaction between the molecules increases. Similarly,
when the temperature decreases, it is easier for molecules and atoms to settle into a more rigid
structure.
Changes Between Liquids and Solids:
How would you make ice cubes in a tray? First, you would fill the tray with water from a tap.
Then you would place the tray in the freezer compartment of a refrigerator. The freezer is very
cold. What happens next?
Freezing:
Heat transfer occurs between the warmer tray and the colder air in the freezer. The warm water
loses heat to the cold air in the freezer. This heat transfer occurs until no energy is available for
the particles to slide past each other. This forces them to remain in fixed positions, locked in place
by the force of attraction between them. This way liquid water is changed into solid ice. The
process of liquid water changing to solid ice is termed as freezing. The temperature at which
16 it| Poccurs
age
is known as the freezing point
Melting:
If you took out the ice cubes from the freezer and placed them in a warm room, the ice would
absorb energy from the warmer air around them. This absorbed energy would facilitate them to
overcome the force of attraction holding them together, enabling them to slip out of the fixed
position that they held as ice. The process in which a solids change to a liquid is called melting. The
melting point is the temperature at which a solids change to a liquid.
Changes Between Liquids and Gases:
If you fill a pot with cold tap water and heat it on a hot stovetop, the water heats up. Heat energy
travels from the stovetop to the pot, and the water absorbs the energy from the pot. What happens to
the water next?
Vaporization:
If the water is hot enough, it starts to boil. Bubbles of water vapor are formed in the boiling water. This
happens as particles of liquid water gain enough energy to completely overcome the force of attraction
between them and change to the gaseous state. The bubbles rise through the water and escape from
17 |The
the pot as steam. The process in which a liquid boils and changes to a gas is called vaporization. Page
temperature at which a liquid boils is its boiling point
18 | P a g e
Condensation:
When you take a hot shower in a closed bathroom, the mirror is likely to fog up. You may wonder why
does this happen? Some hot water from the shower evaporates and when it comes in contact with cooler
surfaces such as the mirror, it cools and loses energy. The cooler water particles no longer have the energy to
overcome the forces of attraction between them. They come together and form droplets of liquid water. This
process in which a gas changes to liquid is known as condensation.
19 | P a g e
Changes Between Solids and Gases:
Solids that change to gas pass through the liquid state first. However, sometimes solids change directly to
gases and skip the liquid state. The reverse can also occur. Sometimes gases change directly to solids.
Sublimation:
The process in which solids directly change to gases is known as sublimation. This occurs when solids
absorb enough energy to completely overcome the forces of attraction between them. Dry ice is an example
of solids that undergo sublimation.
FIVE CHANGES IN STATE:
● Melting
● Freezing
● Evaporation
● Condensation
● Sublimation
20 | P a g e
The process by which a substance changes from the solid phase to the liquid phase is known as melting.
The process by which a substance changes from the liquid phase to the solid phase is known as freezing.
The process by which a substance changes from the liquid phase to the gaseous phase is known as
evaporation. The process by which a substance changes from the gaseous phase to the liquid phase is known as
condensation. The transition of the solid phase to the gaseous phase without passing the intermediate liquid
phase is known as sublimation
LATENT HEAT
- Latent heat is defined as the heat or energy that is absorbed or released during a phase
change of a substance. It could either be from a gas to a liquid or liquid to solid and vice
versa. Latent heat is related to a heat property called enthalpy
21 | P a g e
BIBLIOGRAPHY
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
22 | P a g e