Study Guides | 3. heat | Expansion and Contraction

Study Guide: Expansion and Contraction

Vocabulary

• Expansion
• Contraction

Heat Expansion and Contraction

Heat causes materials to expand. Some common examples of heat expansion are the boiling water in steam engines, volcanic eruptions, hot air balloons, and hot metal objects.

As objects cool down again the contract (shrink). The gradual expansion and contraction of rock under the heat of the sun is one reason why even the mightiest mountains slowly crack and crumble.

Ancient mountain gradually cracking under the forces of repeated heating and cooling.

Demonstrations

1. Metal ball and ring (bowl of water)
2. Bi-metalic objects
3. Heating air below a toy parachute
4. Fish weight on metal cable