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Exploring the thermodynamics of a rubber band
David Roundy
Department of Physics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331
Michael Rogers
Department of Physics, Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York 14850
(Received 27 February 2012; accepted 24 September 2012)
We describe an upper-division experiment in thermal physics where students measure the tension
of a rubber band as a function of temperature and length and use a Maxwell relation to find the
change in internal energy and entropy for an isothermal stretch. This allows students to
experimentally check the predictions of the entropic spring model for elastomers and observe that
the entropy does indeed decrease as a rubber band is stretched. VC 2013 American Association of Physics
Teachers.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.4757908]
20 Am. J. Phys. 81 (1), January 2013 http://aapt.org/ajp C 2013 American Association of Physics Teachers
V 20
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(2 N). Figure 2 also shows that the tension increases with
increasing temperature, contrary to student expectations.
The hysteretic behavior of the rubber band is easily visible in
Fig. 2. The tension during stretching is 0:1 N greater than the
tension relaxing (at the maximum length there is no hysteresis
because this point was only measured once). Although this
change in tension is less than 10% of the measured value, it is
comparable to the change in tension due to temperature. By
measuring the tension for the same sequence of lengthsand in
the same orderstudents can achieve reproducible results that
distinguish between the effects of temperature and hysteresis.
Using the same data, students next plot tension versus
temperature for each of the measured lengths, as shown in
Fig. 3. The trend of increasing tension with increasing tem-
perature is again evident. Because we plot all temperatures
and lengths that were measured in this plot, it is apparent
that experimental uncertainties in tension are significant.
Some of these uncertainties come from hysteretic effects,
which can be seen by comparing the solid and dashed lines,
Fig. 1. (Color online) A photograph and schematic of the experimental
which correspond respectively to tensions measured while
apparatus.
stretching and relaxing the rubber band.
Because most errors are due to rate-dependent hysteretic
when it is stretched further and relaxed to the same length. The and plastic effectswhich tend to be systematic, rather than
second deviation is due to plasticityif a rubber band remains statisticalerror analysis is challenging in this experiment.
stretched for too long, it never returns to its original length. These effects depend on the time the rubber band spends at
Avoiding very high tensions (greater than about 6 N) and main- each length before the tension measurement is taken, which
taining a relaxed state between tension measurements (e.g., is difficult to control. The thermal equilibrium tension should
while changing the temperature) reduces plastic behavior. be measured after waiting for the tension to stabilize after
changing the length. However, the tension takes a long time
IV. ANALYSIS to fully stabilizetoo long for the experiment to be com-
pleted in a few hoursand waiting for this to happen would
As shown in Fig. 2, students plot tension versus length for allow the rubber band to plastically deform. Therefore,
a few different temperatures. The data in this figure was instead of waiting for the tension to completely stabilize, we
taken starting at the shortest length (24.5 cm), moving to the merely wait for it to stop changing rapidly. This leads to hys-
longest length (38.8 cm), and returning again to the shortest teresis in our measurements, and errors due to the human
length. Solid lines show the tension as the rubber band is choice of how long is long enough to wait while making
stretched and dashed lines show the tension as it is subse- each measurement. We avoid making temperature measure-
quently relaxed. The close proximity of the measured curves ments in monotonic order so as to avoid any confusion
shows that the variation of the tension due to temperature between temperature dependence and the effect of plasticity.
(0:2 N) is small compared with its variation with length Students complete their analysis by calculating the change
in internal energy, free energy, and entropy for an isothermal
Fig. 2. (Color online) Tension versus length at the highest and lowest tem-
peratures measured. The solid lines are the tension as the rubber band is Fig. 3. (Color online) Tension versus temperature for each measured length.
stretched and the dashed lines are the tension as it relaxes. The difference As in Fig. 2, the solid lines represent measurements taken with increasing
between the two curves is due to hysteresis. length, while dashed lines correspond to decreasing length.
21 Am. J. Phys., Vol. 81, No. 1, January 2013 D. Roundy and M. Rogers 21
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stretch of their rubber band at a specific temperature of their Table I. Results for changes in thermodynamic potentials found by integrat-
choosing. They first numerically integrate the tension with ing the curves in Figs. 2 and 4. This data correspond to an isothermal stretch
respect to length to get the work done on the rubber band, of 14 cm at 30 C.
which is the change in Helmholtz free energy when their rub-
Potential Change (J)
ber band is isothermally stretched
TDS 0.09
DFjT sdL: (5) DF 0.22
DU 0.13
VI. CONCLUSIONS
Fig. 4. (Color online) @S=@LT versus length, as extracted from the slopes In our experience, rubber bands provide a useful system for
found from Fig. 3. The solid and dashed lines, respectively, correspond to thermodynamic study. The Gough-Joule effect is a classic
slopes taken from the data as the rubber band is stretched and relaxed. demonstration of entropy in action having an effect that is
22 Am. J. Phys., Vol. 81, No. 1, January 2013 D. Roundy and M. Rogers 22
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surprising to students, and the entropic spring model is a stand- This experiment is based on a laboratory activity developed
ard example in statistical mechanics. We describe an experi- by Allen Wasserman for the Paradigms in Physics program
ment that connects this simplified model with real rubber at Oregon State University. A description of these experi-
bands, in which students make measurements that not only ments is included in an appendix of his textbook on
demonstrate the qualitative prediction that tension increases thermal physics.11 More information regarding the Para-
with temperature, but also demonstrate the dependence of in- digms in Physics curriculum is available on the project
ternal energy on tensionin contrast to the simplistic entropic webpage.12
spring model. Moreover, by using a Maxwell relation to mea-
sure entropy we drive home to students that entropy is a real,
measurable state variable. The analysis, moreover, highlights 1
J. B. Brown, Thermodynamics of a rubber band, Am. J. Phys. 31, 397
the connection between Helmholtz free energy, internal (1963).
2
energy, and entropy, and provides students with a concrete R. P. Feynman, R. B. Leighton, M. Sands et al., The Feynman Lectures on
application in which the Helmholtz free energy is useful. Physics, Addison-Wesley Reading, MA, 1964), Vol. 2.
3
M. Dole, Lecture table experimental demonstration of entropy, J. Chem.
This experiment is practical because temperature strongly
Ed. 54(12), 754 (1977).
influences the mechanical properties of rubber bands. 4
W. Hirsch, Rubber bands, free energy, and Le Chateliers Principle,
Unfortunately, a related (and less desirable) property of rub- J. Chem. Ed. 79(2), 200A200B (2002).
ber bands is their hysteretic behavior, which makes the 5
M. I. Liff, Polymer physics in an introductory general physics course,
experiment challenging while at the same time demonstrat- Phys. Teach. 42, 536540 (2004).
6
ing to students the need for careful data acquisition. This G. Savarino and M. R. Fisch, A general physics laboratory investigation
experiment also provides an opportunity to discuss the con- of the thermodynamics of a rubber band, Am. J. Phys. 59, 141145
(1991).
cept of thermal equilibrium in a context that is far more tan- 7
J. Dowling and G. H. Mullen, Rubber band lab, Phys. Teach. 12(4),
gible than two abstracted systems in thermal contact. In our 231233 (1974).
experience, the difficulties of working with rubber bands are 8
A. Filipponi, L. Di Michele, and C. Ferrante, Viscoelastic behavior of a
well balanced by the advantages, both in the behavior that mass-rubber band oscillator, Am. J. Phys. 78, 437444 (2010).
9
can be observed as well as in the student experience of J. W. Cannon, Connecting thermodynamics to students calculus, Am. J.
applying thermodynamics to an everyday object. Phys. 72, 753757 (2004).
10
J. R. Thompson, C. A. Manogue, D. J. Roundy, and D. B. Mountcastle,
Representations of partial derivatives in thermodynamics, in AIP Con-
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ference Proceedings, Philadelphia, PA, 2012, Vol. 1413, pp. 8588.
11
A. L. Wasserman, Thermal Physics: Concepts and Practice (Cambridge
The funding for this project was provided, in part, by the U.P., Cambridge, UK, 2011).
National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. DUE- 12
Webpage of the Paradigms in Physics project, <http://physics.oregonstate.
0837829, DUE-0618877, DUE-0837214, and DUE-0837301. edu/portfolioswiki/>.
23 Am. J. Phys., Vol. 81, No. 1, January 2013 D. Roundy and M. Rogers 23
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