Is 5 N/m² a Reasonable Young's Modulus for Wood?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the calculation of Young's modulus for a wooden meter rule, with an initial incorrect value of 5 N/m² being identified as significantly low. Participants note that the modulus is a material property and emphasize the importance of accuracy in measurements, pointing out that using a thicker beam could yield a higher modulus. After re-evaluating calculations, a corrected value of approximately 5.1 x 10^7 Pa (or 5,108.1 MPa) is presented, highlighting the common issue of misplacing zeros in calculations. The conversation underscores the need for proper experimental methods and the significance of comparing results to accepted values for validation. Accurate determination of Young's modulus is essential for understanding material properties in practical applications.
lionely
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I did a practical worked the gradient and calculated E, of a wooden metre rule.

What I want is a value to compare my value with, I got 5 N/m2

So 5N will bend the ruler 1m? Seems likely right?
 
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On that page isn't that Mega Pascals?? I got 5Pa
 
and maybe on that page those are MUCH higher maybe cause they calculated it using woods of greater thickness,length, etc.
 
Ohhhh LOL I'm sorry I didn't even see what I typed
my mind was away. I didn't mean 5 Newtons would bend it 1m
 
Would you get a higher modulus if you used a thicker beam?
It's a material property. How is the modulus defined?

You can also look for other people who've done the same and talked about it.
It's a common enough experiment - done either by vertical deflection by weights or by Timing harmonic motion.
 
I found out my value is very wrong D: I need to recheck my calculations
 
I am so stupid =.= I left off a 10^-8 somewhere in my calculations.

New value which makes sense NOW is 5.10 x 10^7Pa.
 
Sigh again i was wrong I did it over again I got 5,108.1 MPa
 
  • #10
When you have measurements on such a wide variation of scales, it is very easy to misplace lots of zeros :)

You can see from the discussion of accuracy in the article that these can get very big (as much as 56% it says) so you only need the right order of magnitude. "Conclude: Youngs modulus for a wooded meter-rule was experimentally determined to be _____GPa. This agrees to the same order of magnitude as an accepted value of _____GPa given in ref. ______."

If you did errors then you can also comment on how good the agreement was.
 
  • #11
Thank you.
 
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