Suppose the 1.3 km main span of steel for the Golden Gate Bridge had no expansion joints. How much longer woul

Question

Suppose the 1.3 km main span of steel for the Golden Gate Bridge had no expansion joints. How much longer would it be for an increase in temperature of 11°C?

Answer 1

You have L = 1.3 km = 1300 m and ΔT = 11°C = 11 K, then we have to apply the equation for linear thermal expansion ΔL = LαΔT, where α is the linear thermal expansion coefficient, α = 1.2 x 10-5 /K for steel.
ΔL = 1300 m x 1.2 x 10-5 /K x 11 K = 0.1716 m = 17 cm