When a ring of metal is heated what happens to its hole?
(1) expands
(2) contracts
(3) it expands or contracts according to its diameter
(4) it expands or contracts according to its coefficient of expansion
Answer: (1) The hole size will increase because in expansion the size between two molecules do not increase so when the molecules on the outer edge move outward. Due to expansion, the size of the hole will also increase so as to compensate for the distance change between the molecules. Thermal expansion is the tendency of matter to change in volume in response to a change in temperature. When a substance is heated, its particles begin moving more and thus usually maintain a greater average separation.
