coefficient of expansion

American

noun

Physics.

the fractional change in length, area, or volume per unit change in temperature of a solid, liquid, or gas at a given constant pressure.

coefficient of expansion British

noun

Also called: expansivity. the amount of expansion (or contraction) per unit length of a material resulting from one degree change in temperature

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of coefficient of expansion

First recorded in 1870–75

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023