Examining Young s modulus for wood

Abstract

Symmetry considerations, dimensional analysis and simple approximations are used to derive a formula for Young’s modulus of a simple anisotropic system, a straight-layer wood bar whose fibre axis makes an angle with respect to the bar’s longitudinal axis. Agreement between the derived formula and experiment (carried out in far from ideal conditions) is within 10%. Improvements and extensions are suggested for this undergraduate physics experiment.

The Role of Dimensional Analysis in Teaching Physics

“…For example, this facet of dimensional analysis had been used to derive the gravitational power radiated by a celestial body that moves in a circular orbit, 7 the resistance force of a fluid that occurs when a body moves through it, 8 and the speed of the propagation of waves on water. 8 The number of works in the recent literature [9][10][11][12][13] attest to the enormous utility of this method in various disciplines of physics.…”