SMJK CHUNG LING PULAU PINANG

Project Report (960/4)

STPM 2022

Title:
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRESS AND STRAIN

Names : 1. Alex Ong Zi Yang

2. Anthony Wen Fu Shan
3. Kok Yuin Foong
Class : U6F3
 ABSTRACT

In this experiment, the relationship between the stress and the strain of a copper wire is
examined. The experiment started with a copper wire being pulled by a load and the extension of
the wire is measured. The load is then gradually increased while the corresponding extension of
the wire is recorded. The stress and the strain of the wire is calculated. The data is tabulated in a
table and illustrated in a stress-strain graph. The graph is found to be mostly directly
proportional, which means that the heavier the load connected to the wire, the greater the
extension of the wire. The gradient of the graph which represents the Young’s Modulus of the
copper is also obtained.
 Introduction
1.1 Theory

Deformation of solids is often described as elastic, which is reversible, or plastic, which

is non-reversible. This experiment is primarily focusing on the elastic deformation of a material,
as it is more predictable and measurable. This experiment is a simple tension test, which means
the variables are tensile stress and tensile strain. Tensile stress is the tension or stretching force
per unit area of cross section of the material whereas the tensile strain is the elongation of a
material due to tensile force relative to the original length of the material. In this case, Young’s
Modulus is the ratio of stress to strain. Every material has its own Young’s Modulus.

The physical reason for elastic behavior can be quite different for different materials. In
metals, the atomic lattice changes size and shape when forces are applied. When forces are
removed, the lattice goes back to the original lower energy state. By contrast, rubberlike
materials and other polymers consist of long-chain molecules that uncoil as the material is
extended and recoil in elastic recovery. Metal such as copper chosen for this experiment is more
elastic than most non-metals as they have higher Young’s Modulus and can withstand more force
than materials like rubber despite being less stretchable.

1.2 Literature Review

When an elastic material is deformed due to an external force, it experiences internal

resistance to the deformation and restores to its original state if the external force is no longer
applied. There are various elastic moduli applied to different kinds of deformation, one of them
being Young’s modulus which applies to extension or compression of a body. 

Stress is a physical quantity that expresses the internal forces that neighboring particles of
a continuous material exert on each other. It is defined as the force acting on the object per unit
of area. It is different from the pressure as the area considered must be so small so that the
particles in that area are assumed to be evenly distributed. Strain on the other hand is the amount
of deformation experienced by a body in the direction of force applied. It is defined as the ratio
between the change of length and the original length of an object. 
 The elasticity of a material can be described by a stress-strain curve.,which shows the
relationship between stress and strain. It is obtained by gradually applying load to an object and
measuring its deformation, from which the stress and strain can be determined. These curves
reveal many of the properties of a material, such as the Young’s modulus, the yield strength and
the ultimate tensile strength. 
1.3 Problem Statement 

What are the extensions of a copper wire under varied amounts of load?

1.4 Objective

To investigate the relationship between the stress and the strain of a copper wire
 Methodology

Manipulated variables, controlled variables and responding variables are considered in

order to ensure the accuracy of the experiment. The manipulated variable for this experiment is
the mass of the load. The experiment was started with 100g slotted mass including mass hanger
and then increased to 200g, 300g and so on until the wire breaks. There are few controlled
variables in this experiment. These include the diameter of copper wire and the length of copper
wire. The responding variable of the experiment is the extension of copper wire. The results are
recorded, tabulated, stress and strain were calculated, the Young’s modulus of copper wire is
determined.

2.1 Apparatus and Material

A few apparatus and materials were prepared for carrying out this experiment. A G-
clamp, 2 wooden blocks, a meter ruler, a micrometer screw gauge, a pulley, a mass hanger, 20
100g slotted mass, a masking tape, 1-2 meter copper wire and scissors.

2.2 Procedure

The diameter of the copper wire was measured by using a micrometer screw gauge. Then,
the apparatus was set-up as shown in the diagram above. The original length of wire is measured
by using a meter ruler and then a masking tape is used to mark a reference point. A 100g slotted
mass is added to the mass hanger and the reading of the tape marker is recorded. This step is
repeated by adding 100g slotted mass until the wire breaks. The whole experiment is repeated to
obtain the best result. The table of m, e, F, stress and strain is tabulated. A graph of stress against
strain is plotted. Gradient of the graph is calculated, Young’s modulus of copper wire is
determined.
2.3 Observation, Results and Discussion
Observation and measurement
Stress and strain of copper wire is calculated, data are selected before plastic
deformation. Hence, Young’s modulus of
Strain (x10⁻³) Stress (x10⁷ Pa)
copper wire can be calculated.
0.00 1.49
Mass (kg) Extension (cm) 0.00 2.97
1 2 Mean 0.25 4.46
0.10 0.0 0.0 0 0.50 5.94
0.20 0.0 0.0 0 1.00 7.43
0.30 0.0 0.1 0.05 1.25 8.91
0.40 0.1 0.1 0.10 1.50 10.40
0.50 0.2 0.2 0.20 2.00 11.90
0.60 0.3 0.2 0.25 3.50 13.40
0.70 0.3 0.3 0.30 6.50 14.90
0.80 0.4 0.4 0.40 10.50 16.30
0.90 0.5 0.9 0.70 17.80 17.80
1.00 1.2 1.4 1.30 29.30 19.30
1.10 1.9 2.3 2.10
1.20 3.3 3.8 3.55
1.30 6.1 5.6 5.85

Table 1 Table 2

Length of copper wire = 200.0 cm

Diameter of copper wire = 0.29 mm
Area of copper wire = 6.61x10⁻⁸ m²
Graph 1: Stress of copper wire against strain of copper wire

' stress
Youn g s modulus=
strain
10
¿ 4.83 x 1 0 Pa
Interpretation and Discussion
After the experiment is done, the results refer to Graph 1 show that the strain of copper
wire increased by increasing the stress of copper wire. Thus, the higher the stress of copper wire,
the longer the strain of copper wire.
Besides that, the results recorded in this experiment are less precise due to the error
occurred during the experiment such as random error which is human mistake. It can be
overcome by perform repeating the experiment to obtain the secondary data in order to take the
average from 2 readings, this shown to be more accuracy of the results and it is made sure to be
consistency.
During the experiment, the copper wire needed to be tighten up by using 2 wooden block
and a G-clamp, by preventing the copper wire loosen during the experiment.
 Conclusion

From the results, the Young’s modulus of copper is 4.83 x 10 10 Pa . From the graph of
stress against stress, the stress is proportional to the strain. 

The graph of stress against strain is a straight line. The copper wire undergoes only
elastic deformation and it obeys Hooke’s Law. Copper is used for building wire because of its
conductivity, strength and reliability. Copper has a high tensile strength compared to metals like
aluminium. 

The value of the Young’s modulus determined in the experiment can be revised by using
high standard equipment, proper setup and use digital measuring equipment in observation and
measurement which will increase the accuracy of the results and the obtained value will be more
precise compared to theoretical value. 

In this experiment, the techniques that were applied are deriving equations, plotting graph
of stress against strain and calculating the gradient of the graph to determine the Young’s
modulus of copper. Lastly, the objective of the experiment has been achieved.  

During the experiment, the data recording of time is performed by the same person
throughout the experiment. If the wire is extended past its elastic limit, it will be permanently
extended. To reduce the risk of the wire extending past its elastic limit, the loads are removed
and the wire is checked to return to its original length before taking any new readings. Random
errors are reduced by repeating the experiment for all the loads and finding an average
extension. 
References:
https://byjus.com/physics/stress-and-strain/#what-is-strain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deformation_(physics)#Strain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elasticity_(physics)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress%E2%80%93strain_curve
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_(mechanics)
https://www.britannica.com/science/elasticity-physics
https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics/stress
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-steel-more-elastic-than-rubber