Explained: The Eiffel Tower Grows and Shrinks?

The famous Eiffel Tower is renowned for being one of the tallest towers in the entire world. For forty-two years, from 1889 to 1931, it was the tallest tower in the world. However, the height shrinks and grows depending on the season because of the physical phenomenon of thermal expansion and contraction. Thermal expansion and contraction happen when an object changes its size as an effect of temperature.

When the temperature rises, the volume of the substance increases as well. The molecules move faster when the heat is greater as the kinetic energy increases. Consequently, the molecules take up more space. Owing to this natural pattern of the world, the Eiffel Tower expands up to an additional fifteen centimeters on the warmest days (“Why Does the Eiffel Tower Change Size?”)

When the weather is cold, the Eiffel Tower shrinks. This is due to the opposite of thermal expansion, known as thermal contraction. During thermal contraction, the movement of the molecules slows down as the temperature lowers. Kinetic energy decreases as well, and the molecules are denser, taking up less space. On the coldest days, the Eiffel tower shrinks up to 6 inches (“Why Does the Eiffel Tower Change Size?”).

Owing to the phenomenon of thermal expansion and contraction, the Eiffel Tower grows and shrinks according to different seasons and weather.

References

“Why Does the Eiffel Tower Change Size? - The Eiffel Tower.” La Tour Eiffel, 3 Feb. 2021,

www.toureiffel.paris/en/news/history-and-culture/why-does-eiffel-tower-change-size#:~:text=A%20few%20centimeters%20gained%20in%20summer%2C%20but%20lost%20in%20winter!&text=This%20is%20a%20natural%20physical,slightly%20away%20from%20the%20sun. Accessed 9 Sep. 2022.

“Thermal Expansion Physics.” Encyclopedia Britannica,

www.britannica.com/science/thermal-expansion. Accessed 22 Sept. 2022.