1. Tardigrade
  2. Question
  3. Physics
  4. A metal wire of length l and area of cross-section A is fixed between rigid supports at negligible tension. If this is cooled, the tension in the wire will be

Question Error Report

Thank you for reporting, we will resolve it shortly

Back to Question

Q. A metal wire of length $l$ and area of cross-section A is fixed between rigid supports at negligible tension. If this is cooled, the tension in the wire will be

Solution:

Let $\alpha=$ coefficient of thermal expansion,
$Y=$ Young modulus of the wire.
If the wire is free to contract,
its decrease in length would be $l \,\alpha t,$
where $t=$ decrease in temperature.
To maintain constant length,
$l \,\alpha t$ becomes the effective elongation