Q.Which of the following is not a scalar ?
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STRESS is the internal restoring force per unit area that develops inside a body when a deforming force acts on it: σ=AF. Even a deformation too small to see with the naked eye still produces this internal force, because the relative positions of the body's atoms or molecules have shifted from equilibrium. The SI unit of stress is N m−2, also called the pascal (Pa), and its dimensional formula is [ML−1T−2]; stress is, in general, a TENSOR quantity, since the internal force on a small surface element can have components both normal and tangential to that surface, and these components can differ depending on the orientation chosen for the surface -- this is exactly why stress is NOT simply a scalar, unlike quantities such as pressure, viscosity, or surface tension. Resolving the internal force F on a cross-sectional element ΔA into a normal component Fn and a tangential component Ft gives two basic kinds of stress: LONGITUDINAL (normal) STRESS, σn=Fn/ΔA, further split into TENSILE STRESS (the two sides of ΔA pulled apart, as in a stretched wire) and COMPRESSIVE STRESS (the two sides pushed together, as in a loaded pillar); and SHEARING (tangential) STRESS, σt=Ft/ΔA. A third kind, VOLUME STRESS, arises when a body is squeezed uniformly from every direction (as when fully immersed in a fluid at pressure P), and is numerically equal to that pressure. STRAIN is the resulting fractional change in the body's size: for a rod of natural length L stretched to L+ΔL, ε=ΔL/L -- a pure ratio, so strain is dimensionless and has no unit. S …
Pressure, the coefficient of viscosity, and surface tension are each fully described by a single number (magnitude only) at a point, making them scalars, whereas stress at a point depends on the orientation of the surface it acts on and is therefo …
Pressure, viscosity (coefficient of viscosity), and surface tension are all scalar quantities in this course — each is specified completely by a magnitude alone. Stress, in contrast, depends on the plane/surface on which it is evaluated (normal stress vs shear stress in different directions), so it is not a simple scalar.
Check each option:
- Pressure — force per unit area acting normally, has magnitude only (no direction associated with the quantity itself); scalar.
- Viscosity (coefficient of viscosity, η) — a material property relating shear stress to velocity gradient; specified by magnitude alone; scalar. …
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Fill in the blank: The value of the coefficient of elasticity depends only on ________.
›Reveal solutionSolution
The coefficient of elasticity of a body depends only on the nature/material of the substance, not on its size, shape, or dimensions.
Modulus of elasticity = stress/strain. Since both stress (force per unit area) and strain (fractional deformation) are already normalized quantities (independent of the actual size of the sample), their ratio — the modulus — comes out to be a fixed number characteristic of the material itself (e.g. steel always has the same Young's modulus, ~2×10¹¹ Pa, …
- CBSE 2026Set sz1 markMCQQ.Which of the following is defined by Hooke's law?(a) Modulus of elasticity(b) Stress(c) Strain(d) Elastic limit
›Reveal solutionSolution
Hooke's law (stress proportional to strain) defines the modulus of elasticity as the constant of proportionality.
Hooke's law states that, within the elastic limit, stress is directly proportional to strain: stress = E x strain, where E is called the modulus of elasticity (Young's modulus for tensile/compressive stress, bulk modulus for volume stress, or shear modulus for shearing stress, depending on the type of deformation). Stress, strain, and elastic limit are themselves separate …
- CBSE 2024Set SET-AP55001 markQ.The maximum limit of a deforming force beyond which, on increasing the force further, the object does not return to its original state, is called ________.
›Reveal solutionSolution
The elastic limit is the maximum deforming force (or stress) up to which a body shows perfectly elastic behaviour — beyond it, the deformation becomes permanent (plastic).
When a deforming force is applied to a solid body, it deforms (changes shape/size), and if the force is removed, an elastic body returns to its original shape. This holds true only up to a certain limiting value of the force/stress, called the elastic limit. Beyond the elastic limit, the materi …
- CBSE 2024Set SET-NDP60001 markQ.The property of a substance to regain its original position after removing the deforming force is called ................ (Inertia / elasticity).
›Reveal solutionSolution
Regaining the original shape/size after a deforming force is removed is the property of elasticity.
When an external (deforming) force is applied to a body, it changes the body's shape or size — this is deformation. Elasticity is the property by virtue of which a body opposes this deformation and, once the deforming force is removed, tends to regain its original shape and size (perfectly, for a perfectly elastic body, e.g. an idealised steel spring within its elastic limit). This is distinct from inertia, which is a body's tend …
- CBSE 2023Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The ratio of the relative displacement Δx of the faces of a cylinder to the length L of the cylinder is called:(a) shearing strain (अपरूपण विकृति)(b) shearing stress (अपरूपण प्रतिबल)(c) longitudinal stress (अनुदैर्ध्य प्रतिबल)(d) longitudinal strain (अनुदैर्ध्य विकृति)
›Reveal solutionSolution
Shearing strain = (relative displacement of the faces) / (distance between the faces) = Δx / L, a dimensionless angle-like quantity describing shape distortion without volume change.
When equal and opposite tangential forces act on the two opposite faces of a body (like the flat ends of a cylinder), the body deforms by having one face shift sideways relative to the other, while the length between them stays essentially unchanged. If Δx is this relative (tangential) displacement and L is the perpendicular distance between the two faces, the shearing strain is defined as:
shearing strain = Δx / L = tan θ ≈ θ (for small angles)
…
- CBSE 2023Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.If a wire is stretched to double of its original length, then the strain in the wire is :(a) 3(b) 1(c) 4(d) 2
›Reveal solutionSolution
Strain = (change in length)/(original length); stretching a wire to double its length gives strain = (2L-L)/L = 1.
Longitudinal strain is defined as
Strain = change in length / original length = (Delta L) / L
If the wire is stretched to double its original length L, the new length is 2L, so
Delta L = 2L - L = L
Strain = (Delta L)/L = L/L = 1
…
- CBSE 2022Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Which of the following is not a scalar ?(a) Pressure(b) Viscosity(c) Stress(d) Surface tension
›Reveal solutionSolution
Pressure, viscosity (coefficient of viscosity), and surface tension are all scalar quantities in this course — each is specified completely by a magnitude alone. Stress, in contrast, depends on the plane/surface on which it is evaluated (normal stress vs shear stress in different directions), so it is not a simple scalar.
Check each option:
- Pressure — force per unit area acting normally, has magnitude only (no direction associated with the quantity itself); scalar.
- Viscosity (coefficient of viscosity, η) — a material property relating shear stress to velocity gradient; specified by magnitude alone; scalar. …
- CBSE 2019Set hz1 markQ.What is longitudinal strain ?
›Reveal solutionSolution
Longitudinal strain is the fractional change in length of a body produced by a force applied along its length: strain = deltaL / L.
When a deforming force is applied along the length of a rod or wire (either stretching it or compressing it), it produces a change in length without a significant change in the cross-sectional shape. This type of strain, restricted to length alone, is called longitudinal strain.
If L is the original length of the wire and deltaL is the change in length produced by the applied force, then:
…
- CBSE 2016Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.A and B are two steel wires and the radius of A is twice that of B. If they are stretched by the same load, then the stress on B is ______. (A) four times that of A (B) two times that of A (C) three times that of A (D) same as that of A
›Reveal solutionSolution
Stress = Force/Area, and Area ∝r2; with the same load, the thinner wire carries higher stress.
Let the radius of wire B be r; then the radius of wire A is 2r (given).
Cross-sectional areas:
AA=π(2r)2=4πr2,AB=πr2
Both wires are stretched by the same load F. Stress is Force/Area:
StressA=4πr2F,StressB=πr2F
Ratio: …
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