Maximum Hanging Length of a Wire – Rankers Physics
Topic: Solid and Fluids
Subtopic: Solids

Maximum Hanging Length of a Wire

If \(\rho\) is the density of the material of a wire and \(B\) is the breaking stress, the greatest length of the wire that can hang freely without breaking is:
\(\frac{2B}{rho g}\)
\(\frac{rho}{Bg}\)
\(\frac{B}{rho g}\)
\(\frac{rho g}{2B}\)

Solution:

Breaking stress is \(B = \frac{\text{Maximum Tension}}{\text{Area}}\). For a wire of length \(L\) hanging freely, the maximum tension is at the support: \(T = mg = A L \rho g\). Hence, \(B = L \rho g\), which gives \(L = \frac{B}{\rho g}\).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *