4) Place the foam insulator over the thermistor lug.
5) Plug the leads of your ohmmeter into the banana plug connectors labeled THERMISTOR in the center of
the expansion base.
6) Measure and record Rrm the resistance of the thermistor at room temperature. Record this value in the table.
7) Use tubing to attach your steam generator to the end of the copper tube. Attach it to the end farthest from
the dial gauge.
8) Use a book or a block of wood to raise the end of the expansion base at which steam enters the tube, a few
centimeters is sufficient. This will allow any water that condenses in the tube to drain out. Place a container
under the other end of the tube to catch the draining water.
9) Turn the outer casing of the dial gauge to align the zero point on the scale with the long indicator needle.
As the tube expands, the indicator needle will move in a counterclockwise direction.
10) Fill your steam generator with tap water, till approximately half-full, turn on the steam generator. As steam
begins to flow, watch the dial gauge and the ohmmeter. When the thermistor resistance stabilizes, record
the resistance (Rhot) in Table 1. Also record the expansion of the tube length (ΔL ) as indicated by the
displacement of the indicator on the dial gauge. (Each increment on the dial gauge is equivalent to 0.01 mm
of tube expansion.) Note that ΔL is the difference between the dial gauge readings.
11) Repeat the experiment for the steel and aluminum tubes.