Question

A glass flask whose volume is 1000 cm3 at a temperature of 0.800 C is completely filled with mercury at the same temperature. When the flask and mercury are warmed together to a temperature of 52.0 C, a volume of 8.50 cm3 of mercury overflows the flask. If the coefficient of volume expansion of mercury is 1.80×10^−4 K−1, compute the coefficient of volume expansion of the glass.

Answer 1

Answer: the coefficient of volume expansion of glass = 0.86/(1000 * 52) = 0.00001654 per degree.

Explanation:

Original volume of mercury = 1000 cm3.

The final volume of mercury considering its volume expansion quotient = 1000 + 1000*(1.8*10^-4 *52) = 1000 + 9.36 = 1009.36 cm^3

Considering the glass as a non expanding substance, the complete excess volume of 9.36 cm3 of mercury should have overflown the container, but due to the expansion of glass, the capacity of mercury containment increases and so a lesser amount of mercury flows out.

The amount of mercury that actually flowed out = 8.50 cm3.

So, the expansion of the glass container = 9.36-8.50 = 0.86 cm3.

Using the formula for coefficient of expansion,

coefficient of volume expansion of glass = 0.86/(1000 * 52) = 0.00001654 per degree.