Young’s modulus measures a material’s resistance to compression and is calculated in pascals. It is determined by the stiffness of interatomic forces in a material, with stiffer forces resulting in a higher Young’s modulus. Steel has a high Young’s modulus, making it difficult to compress and useful in construction. The measurement can also be used to calculate voltage.
Young’s modulus is a measure of how hard a material, such as steel, is to compress. Measures pressure and is typically calculated in terms of pascals (Pa). It is most commonly used by physicists to determine strain, a measure of how a material responds to pressure, such as being squeezed or stretched.
Interatomic forces, or forces holding a material together, are strongly associated with understanding this measurement. The atoms in a solid exert repulsive, or negative, and attractive, or positive forces on each other. The forces created by the atoms reach an equilibrium only when they are perfectly separated. For example, if atoms are pushed too close together or if they are separated too far apart, the atoms will no longer be in perfect equilibrium. Once they are out of balance, they will object to the action being applied to them.
The stiffer the interatomic forces, the higher the value of the Young’s modulus and the more the material will oppose the action. For example, if the interatomic forces are stiff, this measurement will be large and the material will not shrink as much when squeezed.
When studying the physics of steel, a scientist must first remember that steel is composed mainly of iron atoms. Consequently, the Young’s modulus of steel is approximately the same as the Young’s modulus of iron. Since the Young’s modulus of iron is 195,000,000,000 Pa or 195 gigapascals (GPa), it is considered very large and very difficult to compress.
Understanding that steel is extremely difficult to compress is important in everyday life. For example, it can be used to construct buildings and not collapse, ruining the integrity of the building structure. A steel cube measuring just 1 meter (3.28 feet) in width, height and depth, would compress by only about a micron while supporting the weight of a school bus, due to the amount of pressure it can withstand. By comparison, a cube that is composed of the same dimensions and is made of lead has a lower value for Young’s modulus. The lead cube would compress 14 times more than the steel cube.
Young’s modulus can also be used in calculating voltage, where atoms are pulled apart instead of squeezed together. In these cases, the strain is bad because the atoms are stretched rather than compressed. The main concept that should be understood is that in both cases it is the stiffness of the forces between the atoms that is being measured, whether they are being compressed or stretched. Consequently, the calculated pressure for Young’s modulus does not change for either type of measurement.
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