Experiment No.

01
Hookes Law for Wires

Objectives
1. To determine the Young's Modulus of Elasticity of the specimen wire.
2. To verify Hooke's Law by experiment.

Theory
In mechanics and physics, Hooke's law of elasticity is an approximation that states that the
extension of a spring is in direct proportion with the Load applied to it. Many materials obey this
law as long as the load does not exceed the material's elastic limit. Materials for which Hooke's
law is a useful approximation are known as linear-elastic or "Hookean" materials. Hooke's law in
simple terms says that strain is directly proportional to stress.
Mathematically, Hooke's law states that
F =-kx
Where
x is the displacement of the spring's end from its equilibrium position (in SI units: meters);
F is the restoring force exerted by the spring on that end (in SI units: N or kg m/s
2
); and
k is a constant called the rate or spring constant (in SI units: N/m or kg/s
2
).

When this holds, the behavior is said to be linear .The negative sign shows that the restoring
force always acts in the opposite direction of the displacement (for example, when a spring is
stretched to the left, it pulls back to the right).
Young's modulus, also known as the tensile modulus, is a measure of the stiffness of an elastic
material and is a quantity used to characterize materials. It is defined as the ratio of the uniaxial
stress over the uniaxial strain in the range of stress in which Hooke's Law holds. In solid
mechanics, the slope of the stress-strain curve at any point is called the tangent modulus. The
tangent modulus of the initial, linear portion of a stress-strain curve is called Young's modulus. It
can be experimentally determined from the slope of a stress-strain curve created during tensile
tests conducted on a sample of the material. In anisotropic materials, Young's modulus may have
different values depending on the direction of the applied force with respect to the material's
structure.

Where
E is the Young's modulus (modulus of elasticity)
F is the force exerted on an object under tension;
A
0
is the original cross-sectional area through which the force is applied;
L is the amount by which the length of the object changes;
L
0
is the original length of the object.
It is also commonly called the elastic modulus or modulus of elasticity, because Young's
modulus is the most common elastic modulus used, but there are other elastic modules measured,
too, such as the bulk modulus and the shear modulus.

Apparatus
Spring
Weight
scale
Procedure
1. Note the length (L), diameter (d) and the material of the wire under test.
2. Add sufficient initial load to the hanger to remove the flexure of the specimen.
3. Let the scale measurement now showing be the zero position.
4. Add equal increments of load to the hanger and note the corresponding total extension (x) for
each case.
5. Care should be taken to ensure that the elastic limit of the material is not exceeded.
6. Tabulate the results and draw a graph of load (W) against extension (X).
7. Continue to load the specimen until fracture occurs. Note the breaking load.

Fig. 1.1 Hooks Law Apparatus


Observations & Calculations

Spring
Number
Load Extension or Compression Stiffness Modulus of Rigidity
=

Forward
(

)
Backward
(

)
Mean

D=
R=
d=
n=

D=
R=
d=
n=


Conclusion: