The New River Gorge bridge in West Virginia is a 518 m long steel arch. How much will its length change between temperature extremes -19°C and 39°C? (answer in cm)
31cm
To calculate the change in length of a bridge due to temperature change, you can use the formula:
ΔL = L * α * ΔT
Where:
ΔL = change in length
L = original length of the bridge
α = coefficient of linear expansion
ΔT = change in temperature
First, let's convert the length of the bridge from meters to centimeters:
518 meters * 100 = 51,800 centimeters
Next, let's calculate the change in temperature:
39°C - (-19°C) = 58°C
Now, we need the coefficient of linear expansion for steel. The coefficient of linear expansion for steel is typically around 0.000012 per degree Celsius.
Now, let's plug the values into the formula:
ΔL = 51,800 cm * 0.000012 * 58°C
Calculating the result:
ΔL = 37.632 cm
Therefore, the length of the New River Gorge bridge will change by approximately 37.632 cm between temperature extremes of -19°C and 39°C.