Determination of the coefficient of thermal expansion by measuring frequency of a heated music wire

TL;DR

This paper presents an accessible experimental method for measuring the coefficient of linear thermal expansion by observing frequency changes in a heated music wire, aimed at enhancing undergraduate physics education.

Contribution

It introduces a practical procedure to determine thermal expansion coefficients using frequency measurements of a heated wire, extending prior methods for educational purposes.

Findings

Validated the method with experimental data

Demonstrated the relationship between temperature and frequency shift

Provided an accessible approach for teaching thermal expansion

Abstract

Engaging with physical and material properties through empirical observation is a fundamental part of undergraduate physics and engineering education. Several works have proposed experiments to determine thermal physical constants of materials such as finding the coefficient of linear expansion. As Dajbych and Polak et al. have shown, methods for experimentally verifying physical constants can be done by measuring the frequency of a plucked high-carbon steel wire on a guitar. Building upon our previous work, we have extended our method to verify the coefficient of linear thermal expansion through an accessible procedure directed at introductory physics education.