Question: The (linear) thermal expansion coefficient of an object is defined to be where L(T) is the length of the object when the temperature is T.

The (linear) thermal expansion coefficient of an object is defined to be


O L'(T) L(T)


where L(T) is the length of the object when the temperature is T. Suppose a 50-meter span of a bridge is built of steel with σ = 1.4 × 10−5 per degree Celsius. Approximately how much will the length change during a year when the temperature varies from −20ºC (winter) to 35ºC (summer)?

O L'(T) L(T)

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