A-Level Physics · Topic 3
Materials and their properties: every key term you need (+ practice quiz)
16 flashcard terms for A-Level Physics Topic 3, written to match the course framework. Study them here, then drill them as interactive flashcards, or test yourself with the 8-question quiz — free, no account needed.
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Density Mass per unit volume. Determines whether an object floats, and is independent of the size of the sample.
Tensile stress Force applied per unit cross-sectional area, measured in pascals. Not the same as pressure, though the units match.
Tensile strain Extension divided by original length. A ratio, so it has no units.
Young modulus Tensile stress divided by tensile strain — a property of the material, not the specimen. Measured in pascals.
Plastic deformation Permanent deformation past the elastic limit: the material does not return to its original length when the load is removed.
Elastic limit The greatest load a material can take and still return to its original shape once the load is removed.
Ultimate tensile stress The maximum stress a material can withstand before it breaks. Defines the strength of the material.
Brittle material Fractures with little or no plastic deformation, as glass and ceramics do. Its stress-strain graph is a straight line to the break point.
Ductile material Can be drawn into a wire, undergoing large plastic deformation before fracture. Copper is the standard example.
Hysteresis loop The gap between loading and unloading curves for rubber. Its area is the energy dissipated as heat in each cycle.
Breaking stress vs stiffness Breaking stress measures how much load a material survives; stiffness, given by the Young modulus, measures resistance to deformation.
Searle's apparatus Measures the Young modulus of a wire. A long thin wire is used because it gives a larger, more precisely measurable extension.
Upthrust The upward force from a fluid, equal to the weight of fluid displaced. An object floats when upthrust balances weight.
Viscous drag Resistive force from a fluid, rising with speed. At low speeds through a viscous fluid it is proportional to velocity.
Springs in series and parallel In series the effective spring constant falls and extension doubles; in parallel it rises and each spring carries part of the load.
Work hardening Repeated plastic deformation makes a metal harder and more brittle by tangling dislocations in its structure.
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