Answer to Don't Leave Me Hanging...

 
     How did little Sammy get into this predicament? Here he was, helping Mom hang up the clothes, when along came a COLD wind. The next thing he knew, he was hooked to the clothesline and dangling in the air! 

       You know why! When the cold wind came, the 10-m line became taut and jerked him off the ground. Well, how much did it contract, I ask? 

     You answer..."If the temperature went from 35° to 5° Celsius in 2 minutes, and the coefficient of linear expansion for the wire is 0.00008 per meter-celsius degree, it would contract..."

The change in length due to a change in 
temperature is given by: 

*l = kL(*T) 
where  
    * means "change in"
    k = coefficient of linear expansion
    L = original length
    T = temperature

since *T = -30 C°, 

*l = (0.00008m-1-1)(10m)(-30C°) 
    = -0.024 m 
    = - 2.4 cm 

 
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Last updated 2/21/98