How to Use This Calculator
- Select the type of substance you want to calculate for from the dropdown menu. The calculator includes common substances like water, ethanol, and glycerin with their typical thermal expansion coefficients.
- If using a custom substance, select "Custom" and enter the name of your substance.
- Enter the reference temperature (°C) at which the volume per milliliter is defined. For most substances, this is 20°C.
- Enter the reference volume per milliliter (mL/mL) at the reference temperature. For water at 20°C, this is typically 1.000.
- Enter the current temperature (°C) for which you want to calculate the volume per milliliter.
- Enter the thermal expansion coefficient (β) for the substance. This value represents how much the volume increases per degree change in temperature.
- Click the "Calculate" button to see the results.
Understanding the Formula
The calculator uses the following formula to determine the final volume per milliliter:
Vfinal = Vref × [1 + β × (Tfinal - Tref)]
Where:
- Vfinal = Final Volume per Milliliter
- Vref = Reference Volume per Milliliter
- β = Thermal Expansion Coefficient (1/°C)
- Tfinal = Current Temperature (°C)
- Tref = Reference Temperature (°C)
Example: Water Calculation
For water at 20°C, the reference volume per milliliter is 1.000 mL/mL. The thermal expansion coefficient for water is approximately 0.0002 (1/°C). If we want to calculate the volume per milliliter at 25°C:
- Reference Temperature (Tref) = 20°C
- Reference Volume (Vref) = 1.000 mL/mL
- Current Temperature (Tfinal) = 25°C
- Thermal Expansion Coefficient (β) = 0.0002 (1/°C)
- Temperature Difference = 25 - 20 = 5°C
- Volume Change = 1.000 × [1 + 0.0002 × 5] = 1.001 mL/mL
Applications
This calculator is useful in various fields including:
- Chemistry labs for precise volume measurements
- Engineering for fluid systems design
- Manufacturing for quality control
- Environmental science for water level measurements