Youngs Modulus of Elasticity of Nicrome Wire

Authors Avatar

YOUNGS MODULUS OF ELASTICITY OF NICROME WIRE

PLANNING:

Aim:

This experiment is to ascertain the Youngs’ Modulus of Nicrome wire.

Youngs’ Modulus is defined as stress divided by strain, by the equation:

(Force/Area)/(Extension/Original Length)

Or:

(Force * Length) * (Extension * Cross-sectional Area)

The Youngs’ Modulus For Nicrome wire will be determined in this experiment by the following set-up.

Method

        The wire is uncoiled from the roller carefully to make sure that there are no chinks in the wire. This would cause the wire to become weak at one point and would fracture before the wire could take its’ full strain. At one end of the wire, the wire is wrapped around a wooden block with another block laid on top. Then a g-clamp will tighten these blocks together trapping the wire, to prevent the wire from slipping.

        At the other end, there is roller pulley that simply allows weights to be added in the direction of the wire, using the weight hook and weights, attached by a strong knot.

        A small piece of coloured cellotape will be attached to near both ends of the wire. As weights are added, there is a possibility that the wire may just slip rather than becoming taught and stretching. So, to take this into account, the celotape will have a scale underneath it and where the celotape is at first (from the wooden blocks or the roller pulley) the distance will be measured, and then as subsequent weights are added, the distance will be checked again to see if any slip has occurred, and then if slip has occurred, it will be taken into account and not added to the extension.

Procedure

First several diameters of the Nicrome wire will be obtained, with a zeroing of the micrometer first, then obtaining an average. Note the micrometer will be cleaned first, in case any foreign particles interfere with the measuring of the Nicrome wire.

Join now!

The weights will be added in 100-gram increments, and then the marker at the wooden blocks will show if there is any slip, (It will be on top of a scale and if it’s moved from there slip has occurred). Then, the extension (minus any slip) will be obtained and tabulated. This will be done by measuring the length of the wire from between the two markers, and then measuring the extension of the wire from the second marker. The weights will be added in 100 grams because this provides enough results without going in to small increments.

...

This is a preview of the whole essay