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Mechanical Properties of Solids - Elastic Potential Energy

Grade 11CBSEPhysics

Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.

🔑Concepts

When a solid body like a wire is stretched, work is done against the internal restoring forces. This work is stored in the body in the form of Elastic Potential Energy (UU).

The energy stored is equal to the work done by the stretching force: W=0ΔlFdlW = \int_{0}^{\Delta l} F dl.

For a wire of length LL and area of cross-section AA, the internal restoring force FF for an extension ll is given by F=YAlLF = \frac{Y A l}{L}, where YY is the Young's Modulus of the material.

Energy Density (uu) is defined as the elastic potential energy stored per unit volume of the material. Its SI unit is J m3\text{J m}^{-3} or N m2\text{N m}^{-2}.

The relationship between energy density, stress (σ\sigma), and strain (ϵ\epsilon) can be expressed using Young's Modulus (YY) since Y=σϵY = \frac{\sigma}{\epsilon}.

📐Formulae

W=12×Load×Extension=12FΔlW = \frac{1}{2} \times \text{Load} \times \text{Extension} = \frac{1}{2} F \Delta l

U=12×Stress×Strain×VolumeU = \frac{1}{2} \times \text{Stress} \times \text{Strain} \times \text{Volume}

u=UV=12×Stress×Strainu = \frac{U}{V} = \frac{1}{2} \times \text{Stress} \times \text{Strain}

u=12×Y×(Strain)2u = \frac{1}{2} \times Y \times (\text{Strain})^2

u=(Stress)22Yu = \frac{(\text{Stress})^2}{2Y}

💡Examples

Problem 1:

A steel wire of length 2.0 m2.0\text{ m} and cross-sectional area 0.8×106 m20.8 \times 10^{-6}\text{ m}^2 is stretched by 2.0 mm2.0\text{ mm}. Calculate the elastic potential energy stored in the wire. (Given: YY for steel =2.0×1011 N m2= 2.0 \times 10^{11}\text{ N m}^{-2})

Solution:

L=2.0 m,A=0.8×106 m2,Δl=2.0×103 m,Y=2.0×1011 N m2L = 2.0\text{ m}, A = 0.8 \times 10^{-6}\text{ m}^2, \Delta l = 2.0 \times 10^{-3}\text{ m}, Y = 2.0 \times 10^{11}\text{ N m}^{-2} First, find the stretching force FF: F=YAΔlL=(2.0×1011)×(0.8×106)×(2.0×103)2.0=160 NF = \frac{Y A \Delta l}{L} = \frac{(2.0 \times 10^{11}) \times (0.8 \times 10^{-6}) \times (2.0 \times 10^{-3})}{2.0} = 160\text{ N} Now, calculate energy UU: U=12FΔl=12×160×(2.0×103)=0.16 JU = \frac{1}{2} F \Delta l = \frac{1}{2} \times 160 \times (2.0 \times 10^{-3}) = 0.16\text{ J}

Explanation:

The energy is calculated by first determining the force required to produce the given extension using Young's modulus, then applying the work-done formula for a stretched string.

Problem 2:

Calculate the energy density of a metal wire which is under a stress of 108 N m210^8\text{ N m}^{-2}. The Young's modulus of the metal is 2×1011 N m22 \times 10^{11}\text{ N m}^{-2}.

Solution:

Stress (σ)=108 N m2\text{Stress } (\sigma) = 10^8\text{ N m}^{-2} Y=2×1011 N m2Y = 2 \times 10^{11}\text{ N m}^{-2} Using the formula for energy density in terms of stress: u=σ22Y=(108)22×2×1011=10164×1011=0.25×105 J m3=2.5×104 J m3u = \frac{\sigma^2}{2Y} = \frac{(10^8)^2}{2 \times 2 \times 10^{11}} = \frac{10^{16}}{4 \times 10^{11}} = 0.25 \times 10^5\text{ J m}^{-3} = 2.5 \times 10^4\text{ J m}^{-3}

Explanation:

Energy density is the energy per unit volume, which can be found directly from the applied stress and the material's Young's modulus.

Elastic Potential Energy - Revision Notes & Key Formulas | CBSE Class 11 Physics