Let a wire be suspended from the ceiling (rigid support) and stretched by a weight W attached at its free end. The longitudinal stress at any point of cross-sectional area A of the wire is:
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Question

Let a wire be suspended from the ceiling (rigid support) and stretched by a weight W attached at its free end. The longitudinal stress at any point of cross-sectional area A of the wire is:

G1 Physics · Accepted Answer

Step 1: Longitudinal stress is normal tensile force divided by cross-sectional area: σ = F/A. Step 2: Ignoring the self-weight of the wire, every cross-section transmits the downward load W. Step 3: Thus the internal tensile force at any such cross-section is F = W. Step 4: σ = W/A. Final answer: (D) W/A.