In this experiment I studied the coefficient of linear expansion of various unknown metals and compared them to the known coefficients for several metals. The experiment was carried out using an apparatus into which two metal rods of approximately 1 meter in length could be clamped. A dial micrometer was attached to one end of the apparatus, which was used to measure the amount the rod expanded during heating. A Bunsen burner was used to heat a flask of water to boiling temperature, and a flexible hose was attached to the top of the flask to conduct the steam to the rod being evaluated. A thermometer was placed in the opposite end of the rod to determine the temperature at the beginning and end of the experiment. As the experiment progressed, the micrometer was monitored until the temperature reached a final stable measurement, at which point the temperature and length of expansion were recorded.It has been experimentally proven that the increase in length of a metal is directly proportional to its original length and the change in temperature. Using this information and the data we collected, we determined the coefficients of linear expansion for our unknown metals and compared them to known values of some metals. We deduced that our two unknown metals were copper and brass based on the proximity of their coefficients of linear expansion to those of our unknown metals. Our first unknown metal turned out to have a coefficients of linear expansion of 16.8E-6, only 1.18 off from that of copper, and our second unknown metal had a coefficients of linear expansion of 18.4E-6, only 3.16 off from that of brass....
