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III. Long Answer Questions · Q2

Q.Explain the different types of modulus of elasticity.

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Step 1. Young's modulus. Y=σtεtY=\dfrac{\sigma_t}{\varepsilon_t} (tensile or compressive stress over the corresponding strain) measures a solid's resistance to a change in its LENGTH. For a wire of length L, area A, stretched by force F to extension ΔL\Delta L: Y=FLA ΔLY=\dfrac{FL}{A\,\Delta L}. A higher Y means less strain (elongation) for a given stress -- steel (Y about 20×101020\times10^{10} N m−2^{-2}) is far stiffer in this sense than rubber.

Step 2. Bulk modulus. K=−σnεv=−PΔV/VK=-\dfrac{\sigma_n}{\varepsilon_v}=-\dfrac{P}{\Delta V/V} measures a material's resistance to a change in its overall VOLUME under a uniform pressure P; the negative sign makes K positive, since volume decreases as pressure increases. Its reciprocal, C=1/KC=1/K, is the compressibility. Gases have a much smaller K (and hence much larger compressibility) than solids or liquids, which is why gases compress so much more readily.

Step 3. Rigidity (shear) modulus. ηR=σsεs=F/Ax/h\eta_R=\dfrac{\sigma_s}{\varepsilon_s}=\dfrac{F/A}{x/h} measures a material's resistance to a change in its SHAPE (a twisting or shearing deformation) at constant volume -- for a cuboid of height h whose top face is displaced sideways by x under a tangential force F over area A. A small ηR\eta_R means the material twists easily under a given torque.

Step 4. Relation. All three moduli, together with Poisson's ratio μ\mu, are linked by Y=2ηR(1+μ)=3K(1−2μ)Y=2\eta_R(1+\mu)=3K(1-2\mu), so any one can be computed from the other two.

Step 5. Comparison. Table 7.1 tabulates Y, K, and ηR\eta_R (all ×1010\times10^{10} N m−2^{-2}) for steel, aluminium, copper, iron and glass; steel has the highest value of all three moduli among these materials, which is why it is preferred for heavy-duty, high-stress engineering applications.

✓Final answer

The three elastic moduli are: Young's modulus Y=σt/εtY=\sigma_t/\varepsilon_t (resistance to length change), bulk modulus K=−σn/εvK=-\sigma_n/\varepsilon_v (resistance to volume change, reciprocal = compressibility), and rigidity/shear modulus ηR=σs/εs\eta_R=\sigma_s/\varepsilon_s (resistance to shape/shear change) -- all with SI unit N m−2^{-2}, related to each other and to Poisson's ratio by Y=2ηR(1+μ)=3K(1−2μ)Y=2\eta_R(1+\mu)=3K(1-2\mu).

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