Faculty Publications

Thermal Expansion: A Fresh Look At An Old Problem

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Canadian Journal of Physics

Volume

85

Issue

3

First Page

231

Last Page

238

Abstract

The phenomenon of thermal expansion is discussed from a basic perspective. Using a new approach, the well-known equation that relates the interatomic distance to the mean total energy per atom in a solid is obtained. Unlike the standard derivation, the new treatment is free from the computational inconsistencies and yields the correct expression for thermal expansion at any temperature. The standard derivation of the equation is outlined and its shortcomings are discussed. © 2007 NRC Canada.

Department

Department of Physics

Original Publication Date

3-1-2007

DOI of published version

10.1139/P07-034

Link to Full Text

Comments?

Share

COinS