AS · Topic 6

The shape of stiffness.

Stress, strain and the Young modulus turn the vague idea of how hard a material is to stretch into a single number you can measure with a wire and a ruler. Pull past the elastic limit and the energy stored under the force-extension graph tells the rest of the story. Play the two simulations below, then work through the gamified lessons, the topic Paper 1 practice and the concept map.

Simulations · live
Interactive · live Stretching a wire: stress, strain and the Young modulus Hang a load on the wire and watch stress and strain climb in step up to the limit of proportionality, with E as the gradient. Loads only when you launch, so the page stays fast.
Interactive · live Elastic potential energy Stretch the spring and watch the shaded area under the force-extension line grow as the stored energy E₊ = ½Fx = ½kx². Loads only when you launch, so the page stays fast.
Paper 1 practice · live
Multiple choice · with worked solutions Paper 1 style multiple-choice questions A full topic set across Hooke's law, the Young modulus and elastic potential energy, each with a worked solution. Open practice →
Lessons · live
Stress, strain and the Young modulus Elastic and plastic behaviour, elastic potential energy
Concept map
Open the concept map