Question

1. The George Washington Bridge crosses the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey. The span of the steel bridge is about 1.70 km. What might be the difference between the maximum span and minimum span over the course of a year, if the temperature can vary from a low of −15.0°F in winter to a high of 106°F in summer? Expansion coefficient of steel is α = 12.0 × 10^−6 K^−1.

2. A 2.30 m length of copper pipe extends directly from a water heater in a basement to a faucet on the first floor of a house. If the faucet isn’t fixed in place, how much will it rise when the pipe is heated from 20.0°C to 77.0°C? Ignore any increase in the size of the faucet itself or of the water heater. Expansion coefficient of copper α = 16.0 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹.

3. Two 37.3-cm metal rods, one made of copper and one made of aluminum, are placed end to end, touching each other. One end is fixed, so that it cannot move. The rods are heated from 0.0°C to 121.0°C. How far does the other end of the system of rods move? Coefficients of linear expansion for aluminum is 23.0 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ and for copper is 16.0 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ .

Answer 1