Abstract
Between 30 and 290 K the thermal expansion of vitreous silica is shown to be particularly sensitive to thermal history. Values given for the linear coefficient α were determined relative to copper, and existing reference data for copper are discussed. α for silicon has also been measured relative to copper from 55 K to room temperature. Values of α at 283 K are reported for a number of samples of copper, and for Ag, Au, Al, Pt, Pd, MgO, NaCl and CaF2.