When materials get hot, they expand, but not all materials expand at the same rate. This can create problems when building things like bridges or houses.

Challenges:

• When materials expand unevenly, they can bend or crack.
• If the materials don’t match well, they might not fit together right.

Solutions:

• We can use special gaps called expansion joints to help parts move without breaking.
• It’s also a good idea to pick materials that expand at similar rates. We measure this expansion with numbers called coefficients. A bigger number means that material expands more.

In short, thermal expansion can cause issues, but with careful planning, we can avoid many of these problems when designing.