The New River Gorge bridge in West Virginia is a 514 m long steel arch. How much will its length change between temperature extremes -20.3 degrees C and 32.7 degrees C

Answer 1

Linear expansion coefficient α=ΔL/L•ΔT
For steel α =12•10⁻⁶ (1/℃)
ΔL=α• L •ΔT=
=12•10⁻⁶•514•(32.7+20.3)=0.327 m