Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Specific Volume and Thermal Expansion

Description

This lecture covers the concepts of specific volume and thermal expansion, including the definitions and calculations related to the coefficient of thermal expansion. It explains how the specific volume is the inverse of the specific mass and how thermal expansion is the relative variation of the specific volume with temperature changes.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Watch on Mediaspace

Instructor

Eric Boillat

Official source

Related concepts (31)

Temperature

Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied on various reference points and thermometric substances for definition. The most common scales are the Celsius scale with the unit symbol °C (formerly called centigrade), the Fahrenheit scale (°F), and the Kelvin scale (K), the latter being used predominantly for scientific purposes.

Specific volume

In thermodynamics, the specific volume of a substance (symbol: ν, nu) is an intrinsic property of the substance, defined as the ratio of the substance's volume (V) to its mass (m). It is the reciprocal of density ρ (rho) and it is related to the molar volume and molar mass: The standard unit of specific volume is cubic meters per kilogram (m3/kg), but other units include ft3/lb, ft3/slug, or mL/g.

Specific heat capacity

In thermodynamics, the specific heat capacity (symbol c) of a substance is the heat capacity of a sample of the substance divided by the mass of the sample, also sometimes referred to as massic heat capacity. Informally, it is the amount of heat that must be added to one unit of mass of the substance in order to cause an increase of one unit in temperature. The SI unit of specific heat capacity is joule per kelvin per kilogram, J⋅kg−1⋅K−1.

Thermodynamic temperature

Thermodynamic temperature is a quantity defined in thermodynamics as distinct from kinetic theory or statistical mechanics. Historically, thermodynamic temperature was defined by Lord Kelvin in terms of a macroscopic relation between thermodynamic work and heat transfer as defined in thermodynamics, but the kelvin was redefined by international agreement in 2019 in terms of phenomena that are now understood as manifestations of the kinetic energy of free motion of microscopic particles such as atoms, molecules, and electrons.

Volume (thermodynamics)

In thermodynamics, the volume of a system is an important extensive parameter for describing its thermodynamic state. The specific volume, an intensive property, is the system's volume per unit of mass. Volume is a function of state and is interdependent with other thermodynamic properties such as pressure and temperature. For example, volume is related to the pressure and temperature of an ideal gas by the ideal gas law. The physical volume of a system may or may not coincide with a control volume used to analyze the system.

Related lectures (26)

Calorimetry: Properties of Ideal Gases

Provides an overview of calorimetry and the thermodynamic properties of ideal gases, including their state equations and heat capacities.

Glass Transition: Polymer Properties

Explores glass and melting transitions in polymers, including characterization methods and specific polymer properties.

Untitled

Thermal Properties of Materials

Explores the influence of temperature on material properties, dimensions, and behavior, including thermal fatigue and expansion.

Chemistry: Atomic Structure and Thermodynamics