JAMB Physics questions: Thermal expansion

12 questions with answers and explanations. Tap an option to check yourself.

1. Question 1· Thermal expansion· JAMB

   A metal has a linear expansivity of 1.1 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹. Find its area expansivity.

   • A1.21 × 10⁻¹⁰ K⁻¹
   • B3.3 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹
   • C1.1 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹
   • D2.2 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹

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   Explanation and discussion

2. Question 2· Thermal expansion· JAMB

   Thermostats in electric irons usually use

   • Aa bimetallic strip
   • Ba mercury thermometer
   • Ca magnet
   • Da transformer

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   Explanation and discussion

3. Question 3· Thermal expansion· JAMB

   A metal rod 2 m long has a linear expansivity of 1.2 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹. Find its increase in length when heated through 50 K.

   • A2.4 × 10⁻³ m
   • B1.2 × 10⁻⁴ m
   • C1.2 × 10⁻³ m
   • D6 × 10⁻⁴ m

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4. Question 4· Thermal expansion· JAMB

   Water has its maximum density at

   • A4 °C
   • B0 °C
   • C100 °C
   • D−4 °C

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   Explanation and discussion

5. Question 5· Thermal expansion· JAMB

   A rod 1 m long with linear expansivity 2 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ is heated through 100 K. Find its increase in length.

   • A2 × 10⁻⁵ m
   • B2 × 10⁻³ m
   • C2 × 10⁻² m
   • D0.2 m

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6. Question 6· Thermal expansion· JAMB

   Overhead electric cables sag more in hot weather because they

   • Aexpand
   • Bcontract
   • Cbecome heavier
   • Dlose their charge

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7. Question 7· Thermal expansion· JAMB

   The cubic expansivity of a solid is approximately

   • Athree times its linear expansivity
   • Bequal to its linear expansivity
   • Ctwice its linear expansivity
   • Dhalf its linear expansivity

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8. Question 8· Thermal expansion· JAMB

   The anomalous expansion of water means that water

   • Afreezes at 4 °C
   • Bexpands uniformly
   • Cboils at 0 °C
   • Dcontracts when heated from 0 °C to 4 °C

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9. Question 9· Thermal expansion· JAMB

   The real expansion of a liquid in a container is equal to

   • Aits apparent expansion only
   • Bits apparent expansion minus the expansion of the container
   • Cthe expansion of the container only
   • Dits apparent expansion plus the expansion of the container

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10. Question 10· Thermal expansion· JAMB

    A bimetallic strip bends when heated because the two metals have different

    • Alinear expansivities
    • Bdensities
    • Cspecific heat capacities
    • Dmelting points

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11. Question 11· Thermal expansion· JAMB

    A bimetallic strip bends when heated because

    • Athe metals melt
    • Bboth metals contract
    • Cits two metals expand by different amounts
    • Dit becomes magnetised

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12. Question 12· Thermal expansion· JAMB

    A metal has linear expansivity 2 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹. Its cubic expansivity is about

    • A8 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹
    • B2 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹
    • C4 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹
    • D6 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹

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    Explanation and discussion