An iron vat is 18 m long at room temperature (20°C). How much longer is it when it contains boiling water at 1 atm pressure?

Answer 1

Boiling water at 1 atm is 100 °C. The coefficient of thermal expansion for iron is about 12 μm/m/°C.

(18)(12)(100 - 20) = 17280 μm = 0.01728 m or approx 0.02 m therefore the length of the vat is 18.02 m