elastic constant

elastic modulus

 or elastic constant

In materials science and physical metallurgy, any of various numbers that quantify the response of a material to elastic or springy deflection. When tensile stress is applied to a material, the resulting strain is determined by Young's modulus (see Thomas Young), a constant defined as the ratio of the stress in a body to the corresponding strain. It has dimensions of (force)/(length)² and is measured in units such as the pascal or newton per square meter (1 Pa = 1 N/m²), dyne/cm², or lbs per sq in. (psi). See also elasticity.

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elastic constant [i′las·tik ′kän·stənt]

(mechanics)

compliance constant stiffness constant

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elastic constant

1. See modulus of elasticity. 2. See Poisson’s ratio.