modulus [moj-uh-luhs]

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). Seealso elasticity.

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Numerical constant that describes the elastic properties of a solid or fluid under pressure from all sides. It is the ratio of the tensile strength or compressive force per unit surface area to the change in volume per unit volume of the solid or fluid and thus is a measure of a substance's ability to resist deformation. Its units are newtons per square metre (N/m2). Matter that is difficult to compress has a large bulk modulus; for example, steel has a bulk modulus of 1.6 × 1011 N/m2, three times that of glass (i.e., glass is three times more compressible than steel).

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Modulus may refer to:

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