How does increasing temperature affect matter?

1 Answer
Apr 15, 2016

Generally, increasing the temperature of matter causes expansion.

Explanation:

As the molecules receive heat energy they move faster and tend to spread out further from each other. Even on a molecular scale, billions of these small expansions result in noticeable expansion of the bulk material. This is why construction of civil works requires flexible joints and a careful matching of materials to prevent fatigue from stress that could lead to a failure of the material.