Past exam of the physics B course of the University of Cambridge 2011 Paper 2 Section C C11 Solution 2026-10-20
Let denote distance from the neutral axis within a cross section. Bending to radius gives longitudinal strain , so Hooke's law gives stress . Its moment isHere is Young's modulus and is the second moment of area, not a mass moment of inertia. For the stated square orientation, .
For self-weight deflection of a square cantilever, the downward load per unit length is . A free-end segment from to has shear-force magnitude and bending-moment magnitude . Thus, with the given sign conventions,Using the small-slope curvature for downward deflection,The clamp fixes position and slope, and the unloaded free end has zero moment and shear:Four integrations yieldThe linear beam model requires small slopes and strains; the strong dependence eventually invalidates that approximation if other dimensions and material properties are fixed.