A change in temperature can cause various changes in the physical properties of an object due to the response of its particles. One of these changes is the volume of the object. Generally, when an object is heated, its particles receive energy, increase the frequency and magnitude of their movement and, therefore, increase collisions and the volume of the object. Conversely, when an object is cooled, its particles decrease motion activities, decrease collisions, and the object shrinks. This tendency of matter is called thermal expansion. The coefficient of expansion is the thermal property of the material. The coefficient of linear expansion (α) is defined as “the ratio of the fractional change in length to the change in temperature” (Tipler, 666). This coefficient only applies to solids.ΔL/L 1 dL α = lim =ΔT→ 0 ΔT L dTThe volume expansion coefficient (β) is defined as “the ratio between the fractional change in volume and the change in temperature , at constant pressure. β = 3α Generally, gases and liquids have a higher coefficient of volume expansion. Materials with a higher coefficient of expansion are subject to greater changes in length or volume and, therefore, are more likely to crack during rapid heating or cooling processes. When two materials with a large difference in expansion coefficients combine, cracks or separation may occur at the bonding surface due to different thermal expansion rates. In industry and in everyday life, thermal expansion has many important positive and negative consequences. One of the most significant consequences of thermal expansion occurs in the construction of large structures, such as bridges, buildings, railways,...... middle of paper ......logy 4. Geological Society. 129-164. ISBN 1-86239-249-8. Greve, Benjamin K. "Exploring the thermal expansion of fluorides and oxyfluorides with rhenium trioxide-like structures: from negative to positive thermal expansion." Order No. 3533155 Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Internet. November 27, 2013. Holand, Wolfram; Beall, George H.. Glass Ceramic Technology (2nd edition). Somerset, NJ, USA: Wiley, 2012. p 22. Lerner, Ed. K. Lee and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. “Bridge expansion joint.” The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Science in Context. Internet. November 26, 2013. Tipler, Paul Allen and Gene Mosca. “Temperature theory and kinetics of gases”. Physics for scientists and engineers. New York: W. H. Freeman, 2008. 566-670. Print."Trans-Alaska Pipeline." Environmental Encyclopedia. Gale, 2011. Science in Context. Internet. November 26. 2013.