Revision NotesExam QuestionsPast Papers
A LevelPhysicsCIEExam Questions6. Deformation of Solids6.1 Stress & Strain

Syllabus Edition

First teaching 2023

First exams 2025

|

Stress & Strain (CIE A Level Physics)

Exam Questions

2 hours32 questions

Select a question set to download for
6.1 Stress & Strain

Select an answer set to view for
6.1 Stress & Strain

Easy
Medium
Hard
1
Sme Calculator1 mark

A student wanted to measure the Young modulus of a wire, to do this they needed to take a number of measurements.

 In which row could the measurement not be made directly with the listed apparatus?

 

Measurement

Apparatus

A

B

C

D

extension of wire

area of cross-section of wire

original length of wire

mass of load applied to a wire

vernier scale

micrometer screw gauge

metre rule

electronic balance

    Choose your answer

    Did this page help you?

    2
    Sme Calculator    1 mark

    What is the unit of the Young modulus?

    • N m–2

    • N m

    • N m–1

    • N m2

    Choose your answer

    Did this page help you?

    3
    Sme Calculator    1 mark

    A material is extended elastically within the limit of proportionality. What is equal to the Young modulus of the material?

    • gradient of the stress-strain graph 

    • area under the force-extension graph 

    • area under the stress-strain graph 

    • gradient of the force-extension graph

    Choose your answer

    Did this page help you?

    4
    Sme Calculator    1 mark

    An experiment was carried out to determine the Young modulus of steel using a steel wire.

     The uncertainties in the measurements are given below.

     

    Measurement

    Uncertainty

    load on wire

    length of wire

    diameter of wire

    extension

    ±2%

    ±0.2%

    ±1.5%

    ±1%

     

    What is the percentage uncertainty in the Young modulus?

    • 6.2%

    • 4.7%

    • 1.8%

    • 1.3%

    Choose your answer

    Did this page help you?

    5
    Sme Calculator    1 mark

    A glass rod was put under stress and strain until it broke. The graph of this is shown below.

    cie-ial-images247png

    Which of the following statements is correct about the glass rod?

    • the glass shows plastic deformation

    • when the cross-sectional area of the rod is doubled, the ultimate tensile stress of the rod is halved

    • Hooke’s law is obeyed for all values of stress up to the breaking point

    • the glass is ductile

    Choose your answer

    Did this page help you?

    6
    Sme Calculator    1 mark

    Two wires S and T, with the same initial dimensions, were put under stress and strain, the graph shows the results up to their breaking points.

    cie-ial-images248png

    Which statement is not correct?

    • material S has a larger ultimate tensile stress

    • material S extends elastically

    • material S extends more than material T when loaded with the same force

    • material S is brittle

    Choose your answer

    Did this page help you?

    7
    Sme Calculator    1 mark

    The graphs below show the stress-strain graphs of three materials. The graphs do not have the same scales.

     cie-ial-images249png

    The three materials are copper, rubber and glass.

     Which materials are represented by the graphs?

     

    1

    2

    3

    A

    B

    C

    D

    rubber

    rubber

    glass

    copper

    copper

    glass

    copper

    glass

    glass

    copper

    rubber

    rubber

      Choose your answer

      Did this page help you?

      8
      Sme Calculator      1 mark

      The stress-strain graph for bone is shown below.

      cie-ial-images250png

      What is the Young modulus of bone?

      • 2 × 106 N m−2

      • 2 × 108 N m−2

      • 1 × 106 N m−2

      • 1 × 108 N m−2

      Choose your answer

      Did this page help you?

      91 mark

      A student wanted to determine the spring constant of a spring. They did this by using different loads to extend the spring by varying amounts.

      To find the spring constant, which quantities are required?

      • the elastic limit, extensions and the length of the spring

      • the loads and the extensions of the spring 

      • the elastic limit and the loads

      • the loads and the length of the spring

      Choose your answer

      Did this page help you?

      1
      Sme Calculator      1 mark

      A metal tube with a thin wall thickness w is shown in the diagram. The thickness of the wall is small when compared to the diameter of the tube.

      cie-ial-images253png

      A force T applied parallel to the axis of the tube puts the tube under tension. It is proposed that making the wall thicker would reduce the stress on the tube.

       If the tube diameter and the tension remain the same, which wall thickness would half the stress?

      • 4w

      • 2w

      •  square root of 2 W end root

      • W over 2

      Choose your answer

      Did this page help you?

      2
      Sme Calculator      1 mark

      A steel metal wire has the following properties:

          diameter = 5.0 × 10–4 m

         Young modulus = 2.0 × 1011 Pa

         tension = 20 N

       The string snaps and contracts elastically.

       By what percentage does a length l of a piece of the string contract?

      • 1.3 cross times 10 to the power of negative 2 end exponent percent sign

      • 1.3 cross times 10 to the power of negative 4 end exponent percent sign

      • 5.1 cross times 10 to the power of negative 4 end exponent percent sign

      • 5.1 space cross times space 10 to the power of negative 2 end exponent percent sign 

      Choose your answer

      Did this page help you?

      3
      Sme Calculator      1 mark

      The Young modulus of a metal wire is dependent on which property?

      • spring constant 

      • ductility 

      • ultimate tensile stress 

      • elastic limit

      Choose your answer

      Did this page help you?

      4
      Sme Calculator      1 mark

      The Young modulus E and the force per unit extension k describes the behaviour of a wire under tensile stress.

      For a wire of length L and cross-sectional area A, what is the relationship between E and k ?

      • E equals fraction numerator A over denominator k L end fraction

      • E equals fraction numerator k A over denominator L end fraction

      • E equals fraction numerator k L over denominator A end fraction

      • E equals fraction numerator L over denominator k A end fraction

      Choose your answer

      Did this page help you?

      5
      Sme Calculator      1 mark

      A steel bar, shown in the diagram, has a circular cross-section that is under tension T.

      diagram-7

      The diameter of the thinner portion is half the wider portion.

      What is the value of fraction numerator s t r e s s space o n italic space t h e italic space w i d e italic space p o r t i o n over denominator s t r e s s italic space o n italic space t h e italic space n a r r o w italic space p o r t i o n end fraction ?

      • 4.0

      • 2.0

      • 0.50

      • 0.25

      Choose your answer

      Did this page help you?

      6
      Sme Calculator      1 mark

      A student wanted to find the young modulus of a wire. The equation for the young modulus E is:

                        E equals fraction numerator 4 F l over denominator pi d to the power of italic 2 x end fraction

       The student extended the wire with a known force and made a series of measurements.

       Which measurement has the largest effect on the uncertainty in the value of the calculated Young modulus?

       

      Measurement

      Symbol

      Value

      A

      B

      C

      D

      length of wire before force applied

      force applied

      extension of wire with force applied

      diameter of wire

      l

      F

      x

      d

      2.043 ± 0.002 m

      19.62 ± 0.01 N

      5.2 ± 0.2 mm

      0.54 ± 0.02 mm

        Choose your answer

        Did this page help you?

        7
        Sme Calculator        1 mark

        A spring was stretched with increasing load. The graph of the results is shown below.

        cie-ial-images255png

        What is the spring constant?

        • 0.080 N m–1

        • 0.13 N m–1

        • 2.7 N m–1

        • 8.0 N m–1

        Choose your answer

        Did this page help you?

        8
        Sme Calculator        1 mark

        The graph below shows the stress-strain for a metal.

        cie-ial-physics-mcq-6-1-q19

        When the strain on the rod is 0.010, what is the strain energy per unit volume of a rod made from this metal?

        • 10 kJ m−3

        • 10 MJ m−3

        • 100 kJ m−3

        • 1.0 MJ m−3

        Choose your answer

        Did this page help you?

        9
        Sme Calculator        1 mark

        A steel spring was stretched to a length of 55 cm when a 25 N weight was hung from it. The spring has a spring constant of 150 N m–1.

         What was the original length of the spring?

        • 0.61 m

        • 0.72 m

        • 0.38 m 

        • 0.49 m 

        Choose your answer

        Did this page help you?

        1
        Sme Calculator        1 mark

        A glass-reinforced plastic rod and a nylon rod attached, as shown, was used to make a composite rod.

        cie-ial-images259png

        Each rod has a length of 1.00 m and the same cross-sectional area. The Young modulus En of the nylon is 2.0 GPa, and the Young modulus Ep of the plastic is 40 GPa

         The composite rod will break when its total extension reaches 3.0 mm.

         What is the greatest tensile stress that can be applied to the composite rod before it breaks?

        • 5.7 cross times 10 to the power of 6 space end exponent Pa

        • 5.7 cross times 10 to the power of 9 space Pa

        • 7.1 cross times 10 to the power of negative 14 end exponent space Pa

        • 7.1 cross times 10 to the power of negative 2 space end exponent Pa

        Choose your answer

        Did this page help you?

        2
        Sme Calculator        1 mark

        A child with a mass of 40 kg was standing on a diving board. The diving board has a length of 5.0 m and is hinged at one end then supported by a spring 2.0 m from the hinged end. The spring has a spring constant of 10 kN m–1

        cie-ial-images260png

        What is the extra compression of the spring caused by the child standing on the end of the board?

        • 16 cm 

        • 9.8 cm

        • 1.6 cm 

        • 1.0 cm

        Choose your answer

        Did this page help you?

        3
        Sme Calculator        1 mark

        The diagram shows a metal cube is placed between two board and compressed elastically by two opposing forces F. The cube has a length of each side of l

        cie-ial-images262png

        How will ∆l, the amount of compression, relate to l ?

        • increment l space alpha space l

        • increment l space alpha space l squared

        • increment l space alpha space 1 over l squared

        • increment l space alpha space 1 over l

        Choose your answer

        Did this page help you?

        4
        Sme Calculator        1 mark

        A metal wire that is supported vertically from a fixed point has a load of 84 N applied to the lower end. The wire has a cross-sectional area of 0.02 mm2 and obeys Hooke’s law. The length of the wire increases by 0.30 %.

        What is the Young modulus of the metal wire?

        • 1.4 cross times 10 to the power of 12 space end exponent Pa

        • 1.4 space cross times 10 to the power of 9 space Pa

        • 1.4 cross times 10 to the power of 8 space Pa

        • 1.4 space cross times space 10 to the power of 5 space Pa

        Choose your answer

        Did this page help you?

        5
        Sme Calculator        1 mark

        Two wires S and T is joined, S has a length of 3.0 m and T a length of 1.0 m, both wires have a uniform cross-sectional area.

        cie-ial-images263png

        When a load was hung from the wires S stretched by 1.5 mm and T by 1.0 mm.

         The same load is then hung from a second wire of the same cross-section, consisting of 1.0 m of metal S and 3.0 m of metal T.

         What is the total extension of this second wire?

        • 3.5 mm

        • 2.5 mm

        • 5.0 mm

        • 4.8 mm

        Choose your answer

        Did this page help you?

        6
        Sme Calculator        1 mark

        Two steel wires X and Y that both obey Hooke’s law were used in an experiment. Wire X has a length l and a cross-sectional area A. Wire Y has a length of 2 l and cross-sectional area of  A over 2.

         What is the ratio fraction numerator t e n s i o n space i n space X over denominator t e n s i o n space i n space Y end fraction  when both wires are stretched to the same extension?

        • 1 fourth

        • 4 over 1

        • 2 over 1

        • 1 half

        Choose your answer

        Did this page help you?