February 2025

An introduction to Beams and their types

By |2025-02-12T09:45:45+02:00February 12th, 2025|Notes, O Level Science Notes, Ordinary Level Notes|

beams_introduction-min Common types of beams and their associated forces ZIMSEC O Level Combined Science Notes: An introduction to Beams and their types

  • A beam is any material that is supported so that it can hold a load
  • A simple beam is a length of material e.g steel supported along its length so that […]
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Stress in beams

By |2025-02-12T09:12:11+02:00February 12th, 2025|Notes, O Level Science Notes, Ordinary Level Notes|

Types of stresses that affect beams. The arrows show the direction of force. Types of stresses that affect beams. The arrows show the direction of force. ZIMSEC O Level Combined Science Notes: Stress in beams

  • If a material (beam) is subjected to a force, an equal force acts in the opposite direction
  • This […]
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Loading a beam

By |2025-02-12T09:12:52+02:00February 12th, 2025|Notes, O Level Science Notes, Ordinary Level Notes|

Loading a beam Loading a beam ZIMSEC O Level Combined Science Notes: Loading a beam

  • When a beam is loaded it will bend
  • Bending movement creates stress
  • The top of the beam is compressed and the underside is stretched
  • This is because there are compressive forces at the top and stretching/tensile forces at the underside
  • If […]
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Strength to Mass ratio

By |2025-02-12T09:13:19+02:00February 12th, 2025|Notes, O Level Science Notes, Ordinary Level Notes|

The cross section of beams The cross section of beams ZIMSEC O Level Combined Science Notes: Strength to Mass ratio

  • Engineers do away with materials that are under little stress so as to be able to build efficient structures in terms of weight and cost
  • The material that lies close to the neutral […]
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Demonstrating compression and tensile forces

By |2025-02-12T09:08:17+02:00February 12th, 2025|Notes, O Level Science Notes, Ordinary Level Notes|

Demonstrating tension and compression forces Demonstrating tension and compression forces ZIMSEC O Level Combined Science Notes: Experiment: Demonstrating compression and tensile forces

Aim:  To demonstrate compression and tensional(stretching forces)

Materials: glue, tissue paper, rubber, two small blocks of wood, plastic ruler/rubber hose

Method Demonstrating tension and compression forces. Image credit MediaWiki

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Testing the strength of various beams

By |2025-02-12T09:09:02+02:00February 12th, 2025|Notes, O Level Science Notes, Ordinary Level Notes|

Testing the strength of beams Testing the strength of beams ZIMSEC O Level Combined Science Notes: Experiment: Testing the strength of various beams

Aim: To make different shaped beams and test their strength

Materials:  thin pieces of poplar wood, sharp knife, weights, 2 clamps, 2 bricks

  1. Cut beams about 20cm long with different cross-sectional […]
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Investigating whether thick beams support more weight

By |2025-02-12T09:10:29+02:00February 12th, 2025|Notes, O Level Science Notes, Ordinary Level Notes|

Plasticine can be used to model cylinder beams. Image credit wordpress.com Plasticine can be used to model cylinder beams. Image credit wordpress.com ZIMSEC O Level Combined Science Notes: Experiment: Investigating whether thick beams support more weight

Aim: To show that thicker beams can support more weight

Materials: Plasticine/Stikistuff, wooden board, small cardboard cylinders 2cm in […]

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To investigate whether the length of a beam affects its strength

By |2025-02-12T09:11:03+02:00February 12th, 2025|Notes, O Level Science Notes, Ordinary Level Notes|

Testing the length and strength of beams Testing the length and strength of beams ZIMSEC O Level Combined Science Notes: Experiment:To investigate whether the depth of a beam affects its strength

Aim: To show how the length of a beam affects its strength

Materials: drinking straws, clamps, weights

Method

  1. Clamp the ends of a straw […]
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