BRAINCAKEYoung Modulus
The Young modulus E of a material is its tensile stress divided by its tensile strain, E = σ/ε. It measures the stiffness of the material itself.
Since stress = F/A and strain = ΔL/L, the Young modulus can be written E = FL/(AΔL), where F is the tension, L the original length, A the cross-sectional area and ΔL the extension. Its unit is the pascal (Pa), the same as stress, because strain has no units.
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Key terms in this lesson
- Tensile stress
- The force applied to a material divided by its cross-sectional area.
- Tensile strain
- The extension of a material divided by its original length; it has no units.
More in Materials
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- Tensile Stress
- Tensile Strain
- Stress-Strain Graph for Metal Wire
- Definitions
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All 18 lessons in Materials · All AQA AS-level Physics topics