Activity YM2

Pupil Sheet

Youngs Modulus
GUIDE QUESTIONS:
(Answers)
Using the Information Sheet provided, and the results obtained from
experimental work, answer the questions below:
1. What is Hookes law?
= It states that in the elastic range of the material, strain is proportional
to stress. The elongation of the material is directly proportional to the
tensile force and the length of the material and inversely proportional to
the cross-sectional area of the material and the modulus of elasticity.
2. Explain what happens when the elastic limit is exceeded:
=If you exceed the elastic limit of a material there may be permanent
deformation for ductile material and rupture if the material is brittle.
3. Explain what is meant by Youngs Modulus:
=It is a property of a material and it determines the stiffness of an
elastic material. It is a quantity used to characterize materials.
4. How is knowledge of Youngs Modulus helpful to an engineer when
selecting materials for use in a given project? Give examples:
= To be able to determine the stiffness of an elastic material.
= To be able to characterize materials through its elasticity.
5. Explain what is meant by Poissons ratio:
= It states that when a material is compressed in one direction, it
usually tends to expand in the other two directions perpendicular to the
direction of compression.
6. Youngs modulus can be measured by loading a wire and measuring
the strain. Which method is likely to be more accurate? Explain your
answer:
= Measuring the strain. This is becausein finding the Youngs Modulus,
you just need to compute Load over Strain.

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Activity YM2

Pupil Sheet

Youngs Modulus Part II

GUIDE QUESTIONS:
(Answers)
1. Use Excel file Young Modulus Calculation-Extended.xlsx.
2. Open the data file for Sample A results by clicking on the tab at the
bottom of the worksheet. This contains force and extension data for an
unknown material. This data has been collected using a Tensometer,
which basically stretches a sample of the material with increasing
force.
3. Using the following equations, convert this data into stress and strain.
Information on the sample dimensions is available in the spreadsheet.
stress = force/area

strain = extension/original length

4. Plot a graph of strain vs stress.

= Graph already plotted. (See figure above)
5. What shape would you expect the graph to be? Can you suggest a
reason for the shape of the graph at low strains?
= As we plotted the computed values of stress and strain, it formed a
line that is diagonally upward to the right. As the stress goes higher, the
strain also increases because its stress and strain is directly
proportional.
6. What is the gradient of the graph? What should you do before using
Excel to calculate the gradient?
= Before using excel to calculate the gradient, we must compute first
for the stress and strain values. The slope of the line is diagonally
upward from left to right therefore the stress and strain is directly
proportional to each other.
7. What is the Youngs Modulus of this material? Can you suggest what
the unknown material may be using the table of material data
provided? How could you confirm this?
= The Youngs Modulus of the material can be found using the
equation: (E = 6l/gradient x wh 2).This equation determines the stiffness
of the material. The unknown material A is Aluminium since its graph is
similar to that aluminium should be like.

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Activity YM2

Pupil Sheet

8 Sample B results contains similar data for a different unknown

material. Convert the data into stress and strain and plot a graph as
before. Comment on the shape of the graph. Identify the plastic and
elastic regions of the graph.
= The stress and strain is already computed and placed on the file. The
plastic region starts at the point where the line begins to curve and the
rest of the point before that is that elastic region as shown in the graph
on copper.
9 Calculate Youngs Modulus for this material. Can you find this value in
the table of material data? If not, what do you think this material could
be?
= The Youngs Modulus of the material can be found using the
equation: (E = 6l/gradient x wh 2). This equation determines the stiffness
of the material. This material is called Copper since its graph is similar
to that of aluminium.

Source:
www.wikipedia.com
www.google.com

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