Grade 10 Physics · Strand 1: Mechanics and Thermal Physics · Mechanical Properties of Materials
Understanding Tensile Stress
A short Grade 10 Physics lesson for the CBE curriculum, part of Mechanics and Thermal Physics: Mechanical Properties of Materials. Learn it on any phone with notes and slides, then check yourself with a quick quiz and earn XP. This lesson is free.
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1. A steel wire is stretched beyond its elastic limit and then the load is removed. What happens to the wire?
- A. It returns exactly to its original length
- B. It stays permanently stretched and does not return to its original length
- C. Its spring constant doubles
- D. It breaks into two pieces immediately
2. A cable carries a constant pulling force. The cable is replaced by one with four times the cross-sectional area. What happens to the tensile stress in the cable?
- A. It becomes four times larger
- B. It stays the same
- C. It becomes one quarter of its original value
- D. It becomes half of its original value
3. A steel cable has a breaking stress of 600 MPa. An engineer uses a factor of safety of 4. What is the maximum allowable working stress?
- A. 2400 MPa
- B. 600 MPa
- C. 150 MPa
- D. 4 MPa
4. A steel wire has a diameter of 2 mm and carries a pulling force of 314 N. Calculate the tensile stress in the wire in megapascals (MPa). Take π = 3.14.
Type your answer (in MPa) in the lesson.
5. What is the SI unit of tensile stress (equal to one newton per square metre)?
Type your answer in the lesson.
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