Unit 1 Engineering Physics

Chapter 1

PROPERTIES OF MATTER

“Failure is central to engineering.

Every single calculation that an

engineer makes is a failure

calculation. Successful engineering is

all about understanding how things

break or fail.”

Henry Petroski

Professor of Engineering and History

at Duke University, USA.

Syllabus:

Elasticity – Stress-strain diagram and its uses - factors aecting elastic

modulus and tensile strength – torsional stress and deformations – twisting

couple - torsion pendulum: theory and experiment - bending of beams -

bending moment – cantilever: theory and experiment – uniform and non-

uniform bending: theory and experiment - I-shaped girders - stress due to

bending in beams.

1.1 Introduction...................................

What do we mean by “properties of matter” and why do we study them? We know that
the physical universe, of which we too are constituents, is made up of matter and energy
which are interconvertible, as shown by Albert Einstein in the beginning of the 20th
century. Those entities in the universe which need space to occupy and possess mass are
called “matter” or “material”. However, in engineering and technology, the terms “matter”
and “material” are used in a more restricted sense to denote the stuthat are useful in
engineering contexts for making devices, structures, machines etc such as automobiles,
buildings, computers and so on. Engineering materials and their applications are all
pervasive in our day to day lives - transportation, housing, clothing, communication,

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