A steel rod having radius r and length L gets stretched along its leng

A steel rod having radius r and length L gets stretched along its length by ΔL, when a force F is applied to it. If another rod made of the same material having radius 2r and length L is subjected to the same force F, then the elongation observed for the second rod is

4ΔL
2ΔL
ΔL /4
ΔL /2
This question was previously asked in
UPSC Geoscientist – 2023
According to Hooke’s Law, for a material under tensile stress, Young’s Modulus (Y) is given by Y = Stress / Strain.
Stress = F/A, where F is the force applied and A is the cross-sectional area.
Strain = ΔL/L, where ΔL is the elongation and L is the original length.
So, Y = (F/A) / (ΔL/L) = (F * L) / (A * ΔL).
Rearranging for elongation, ΔL = (F * L) / (A * Y).
The cross-sectional area of a rod with radius r is A = πr².
For the first rod: ΔL₁ = (F * L) / (πr² * Y).
For the second rod: Radius is 2r, length is L, material is the same (Y is the same), and the force is F.
The cross-sectional area of the second rod is A₂ = π(2r)² = 4πr².
The elongation for the second rod is ΔL₂ = (F * L) / (A₂ * Y) = (F * L) / (4πr² * Y).
Substituting the expression for ΔL₁ into the equation for ΔL₂:
ΔL₂ = (1/4) * [(F * L) / (πr² * Y)] = (1/4) * ΔL₁.
Thus, the elongation observed for the second rod is ΔL/4.
Elongation under a given force is inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area of the rod, assuming the material, length, and force are constant. Area is proportional to the square of the radius.
This problem assumes the material behaves elastically and obeys Hooke’s Law. Young’s modulus is a property of the material. The force applied must be within the elastic limit of the material.