In mid-summer, a family assembled a patio set for their deck. Most of the assembling
was done by placing metal screws into plastic holes. The furniture was stable
throughout the summer. However, when the weather turned cold in the late fall, the
family noticed that the chairs and table became wobbly. Which statement best
explains what happened?
1. Plastic has greater thermal expansion than metal does.
2. Both plastic and metal contract when warm and expand when cold.
3. The metal screws contracted more than the plastic did when they became cold.
4. The metal screws contracted less than the plastic did when they became cold