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TEMPERATURE
16.1. Thermal Equilibrium
Thermodynamics deals with the internal energies of systems and is governed by a set of
laws (similar to Newton's law for mechanics). The central concept of thermodynamics is
the temperature T. Properties of many bodies change as their thermal environment is
altered. When the temperature increases, the volume of a liquid increases, the length of a
metal rod increases, the electrical resistance increases, the pressure of a confined gas
increases, etc. If we know the change in these parameters as a function of the
temperature, we can use them to measure the temperature. The device is then called a
thermometer.
In order for a thermometer to measure the temperature of a body, it must be in intimate
contact with the body. After making contact, every measurable property of the
thermometer and the body assumes a stable value, and the bodies are said to be in
thermal equilibrium. If the thermometer is also in thermal equilibrium with a second
body than the two bodies are also in thermal equilibrium. This is called the zeroth law of
thermodynamics. The temperature is a property of a body, and two bodies are found to
be in thermal equilibrium if their temperatures are equal.
where p0 is the atmospheric pressure and [[rho]] is the density of mercury in the
manometer. The temperature of the body is defined as
where C is a constant. In a similar fashion we can measure the temperature of the triple
point cell in order to obtain our reference temperature:
The temperature obtained in this manner will depend slightly on the amount and the type
of gas in the bulb. However, if smaller and smaller amounts of the gas are used, the
measured temperature converges for different gasses.
For example,
The Fahrenheit temperature, TF, is related to the Celsius scale in the following manner
For example,
where [[alpha]] is a constant called the coefficient of linear expansion. The coefficient
of linear expansion depends on the material and typical values range between 0.5 x 106
K-1 and 10 x 10-6 K-1 (at room temperature).
For liquids the volume expansion is the only meaningful parameter
where [[beta]] is the coefficient of volume expansion for the liquid. The coefficients of
volume expansion and linear expansion are related. Suppose the temperature of a volume
V (length L, height H and width W) is increased by [[Delta]]T. The volume change
[[Delta]]V can be calculated
We conclude that
Water is the only exception of simple thermal expansion. Its specific volume passes
through a minimum (maximum density) at 4 deg.C. Between 0 deg.C and 4 deg.C the
water contracts with increasing temperature, and above 4 deg.C it expands with
increasing temperature (that is why water pipes burst when they freeze).
NOTE: The atoms in a solid are held together in a three-dimensional periodic lattice by
spring-like interaction forces. The potential energy for a pair of neighboring atoms
depends on their separation r, and has a minimum at r = r0. The distance r0 is the lattice
spacing of a solid when the temperature approaches zero. The potential energy curve is
not symmetrical around r = r0; it rises more steeply when the atoms are pushed together
(r < r0) than when they are pulled apart (r > r0). The average separation distance at a
temperature above the absolute zero will therefore be larger than r0. A solid with a
symmetric potential energy curve would not expand.
Example - Problem 41P
Show that when the temperature in a liquid in a barometer changes by [[Delta]]T, and the
pressure is constant, the height h changes by [[Delta]]h = [[beta]] h [[Delta]]T, where
[[beta]] is the coefficient of volume expansion. Neglect the expansion of the glass tube.
Suppose the cross-sectional area of the glass tube is A and the original height of the liquid
is h. The volume of the liquid is equal to
Due to the change in temperature [[Delta]]T the volume of the liquid will change by
[[Delta]]V
Assuming that the cross section A remains constant (no expansion of glass) we can
conclude that
and therefore
Thus
The mercury is contained in an evacuated system which does not change size as a result
of the change in temperature. Connected to the reservoir is a thin glass tube which serves
as the expansion volume for the mercury. The glass tube has an area equal to A, and the
change in the height h of the mercury level in the tube is determined by the change in
volume [[Delta]]V
We conclude that
Thus, by measuring the change in the height of the mercury column we can measure the
change in the temperature of the mercury.